Teenage Kicks
by PrjCTDLg
Summary: 'She sat on the inside of his right leg, shuffling slightly which caused him to wince. Gripping both her arms around his neck, she allowed her cherry tinted lips to linger close to his ear. "Say cheese"' X
1. One Hell of a Year

First Fic... blah blah blah... This was actually written in March, but just haven't had the time to check it over or post it. Hardly had the internet since then.

It's a Sora/Kairi fic... _kinda..._ Will focus a lot on other characters, so there is no _real _main character. Most have really important roles.

Anyway, I'm not gonna ramble. Don't own Kingdom Hearts... Well, technically I do, and Kingdom Hearts II, but not RE:COM, never came out in Europe :( and I can't be bothered getting swap magic to play it.

It was rushed, any mistakes, tell me, please.

***As of the 22****nd**** of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

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* * *

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**Sora Carmichael – Age 15 – Destiny Islands hottest Soccer prospect.**

**Kairi Shaw – Age 16 – The 'adopted' daughter of the mayor of the islands.**

**Riku Gallagher** **-Age 16 – Just entering junior year. Lifelong friend of Sora.**

**Roxas McCartney-Middleweek - Age 16 – Carefree teenager with underlying family problems.**

**Tidus Martingale – Age 16 – Son of one of the gym teachers at Destiny High.**

**Selphie Tilmitt – Age 16 – Self proclaimed 'match maker extraordinaire'.**

**Wakka Kharral – Age 16 – Goalkeeper for the DH soccer team.**

**Namine Snow – Age 16 – A budding artist. In sophomore year.**

The song in this chapter is _Teenage Kicks_ by _The Undertones._

* * *

_Are teenage dreams so hard to beat  
Every time she walks down the street  
Another girl in the neighborhood  
Wish she was mine, she looks so good_

_I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight  
Get teenage kicks right through the night_

_I'm gonna call her on the telephone  
Have her over cos I'm all alone  
I need excitement oh I need it bad  
And its the best, I've ever had_

_I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight  
Get teenage kicks right through the night_

_I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight  
Get teenage kicks right through the night_

**August 31st 2009**

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"Wake up."

"No."

"It's half past seven, time to get up."

"Not it's not, Summer, bed."

"Yes it is, School, now."

"Fuck off."

"Move, now!"

"Nah."

"Yes, Sora."

"No, Squall."

"Move, or I'll send those pictures to your girlfriend."

"A, She is not my girlfriend, and B, There are no pictures."

"Oh, really?"

"Ya, really."

"Just move, you little dumbshit."

"Fine."

With that a figure emerged from the bed. Hair flicking up at all angles, he yawned awkwardly, before looking at the clock on his cellphone.

_06:27_

"Dammit Squall." He threw the phone onto his bed, "well, I'm awake now, might as well go for a shower."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Where the hell is he?" A silver-haired boy asked anxiously.

"He'll be down in a minute Riku." Riku looked around the room, it was quite plain, with light blue painted walls, a small lamp emitting a dull light across the light, wooden floor. He tapped his foot anxiously, waiting for the appearance of his porcupine-haired friend.

"Time?" He inquired, his mind adrift.

"Erm... hang on," Squall scanned the room for a clock, "It's Eight-Twenty, you guys best be off." Minutes passed with Riku and Squall occasionally making idle chitchat.

"What about you then, Mr 'Senior'?" Riku attempted to start a conversation.

"I, my shiny-haired amigo, shall be driving, in a car."

"Why can't you give me and the idiot a lift then?"

"Simple," Squall stood up and walked into the kitchen, before returning to the room, "I don't have any baby seats." He laughed, removing his jacket from it's hanger.

"What happened to the mopey, emo Squall? I actually preferred him."

"Nothing happened, I'm still the same." Squall retorted, coolly.

"It's that chick, isn't it?" Riku stood up, a smile began to surface on his face. "What's her name? Rinoa?" Squall looked away, which led Riku to presume he was blushing. "It is! Aww, is little Squally going to pick up his little girlfriend?"

"It's not like that."

"Yes it is." Squall and Riku both turned as they heard the voice calling from the top of the stairs, "He's totally smitten."

"Oh, you're alive?" Squall asked, "And to think, that's us just off the phone to the undertaker, headstone ordered, agreed a time, hell we even got one of those cardboard coffins, you know, save the environment kinda thing."

"Too far, bro."

"Well I'm off, enjoy not being freshmen kiddo." Squall messed up Sora's hair, before walking through the front door leaving the two bewildered teens standing alone in front of the open doorway.

"What time is it, Sora?" Sora handed Riku his cellphone, while he ran back upstairs.

"It's Twenty Five to, we'd better hurry Sora." Riku was about to close over the cellphone when he noticed Sora had an unread message, and Riku, by virtue of being Riku, thought he should check it out, just to see who it was from. When he checked the message he wasn't surprised in the slightest to see that it was from Kairi, one of Riku and Sora's best friends and the girl that Riku was convinced the latter was crushing on, it seemed obvious through Riku's eyes anyway. _Well it won't hurt to have just a little peek, will it?_

Just as Riku was about to read the message, Sora came bounding back down the stairs, shirt unevenly buttoned, jacket only on one sleeve, tie too tight.

"You got a message, man." Riku stated coolly.

"Who from?"

"Erm... Kairi?"

"Read it out to me," Sora began running around the house, scavenging for a pen and calculator.

"Ok... 'Hey Sora, Can't wait for School' Double upwards arrows, possibly denoting smitteness over you." Riku smirked.

"Shut up, and continue." Sora ordered him.

"'Can't believe I just said, well, typed that, ha.', funny stuff, Kai'. 'Can't wait to see you', Smiley sticking tongue out... Very suggestive." Riku waggled his eyebrows.

"You sick minded prick," Sora laughed.

"Ooh," Riku said, sounding slightly feminine, "She got you a present, wonder what it could be, probably a dild..."

"Gimme that!" Sora shouted before snatching his phone from Riku.

"I was only saying that she got you it, so, y'know, you can put your 'girl parts' to good use."

"Yeah, that's right Riku," Sora proclaimed sarcastically, "I'm a cross-dressing hermaphrodite, blah-blah-blah, lets move," He swung his school bag over his shoulder and walked out the door, leaving Riku, who was standing, confused.

"How is that possible?"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Demyx, I'm away to school," A voice boomed down the hallway.

"Catch you later, Rox, enjoy being a sophomore."

"Yeah right," Roxas scoffed as he pulled the front door closed. Placing his pearly white earphones in his ears, he grabbed his sticker-emblazoned satchel and began to walk to school. It was a few miles to get there, and was mostly uphill, but he had left with plenty of time to spare before the bell would sound to commence his second year of high school. He decided to call some of his friends, out of sheer boredom.

"Sora?" _Nah, spoke to him last night._

"Riku?" _Probably with Sora, or some random chick with herpes, and that's the truth. _Roxas started laughing, which drew some strange looks from those around him, looks that he replied to by staring daggers through those who _dared _to send him them.

"Wakka?" _To early in the morning to be referred to as 'Mon'._

"Kairi?" _She's basically Sora's babysitter, plus she'll probably start constantly going on about how she isn't a freshman any more. Why isn't it a freshwoman? And why do they have to be fresh? What if they don't have showers? Moving on..._

"Namine?" _I'll probably end up freezing up over the phone._ Roxas decided just to leave it and resigned to the fact that he would have to spend another year in hell. Just as he was putting his cell back in his pocket, it began to ring. He looked at the caller ID, which was anonymous. He decided to answer the phone anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey Roxie!" A girl screamed down the other end of the line.

"Oh, hey N-Namine." Roxas replied, he was bright red, but she couldn't see this, well, he hoped not.

"How are yoooooou?" She seemed pretty excited.

"I'm okay thanks, yourself?"

"I'm superfandabulous thank you very much Roxiee."

"Are you okay? You sound a Bit st-"

"Okay? I already told you, I'm superfandabulous." Roxas heard another voice over the phone.

"Give me the cell Namine, now!"

"No!"

"Do you want me to tell Roxas abou-"

"Here you go."

"Thank you Namine," The girl on the phone fumbled with it for a moment hurting Roxas' ear. "You still there Roxas?"

"Yep, Hey Kairi."

"Hey, sorry about her, are you going to Selphie's party on Friday? Nam' wanted me to ask."

"Uh, sure, you going?" He inquired.

"Yes-sir," She giggled over the phone.

"Sora will be going then," Roxas smiled.

"What was that?" Kairi asked. Roxas was unsure whether she had heard him or wondered why he had said it.

"Uh, nothing, I gotta go Kairi, see you soon?"

"Yeah, Hang on Roxas, you've to meet Sora and Riku at the fountain in the town center before school."

"Okay, see ya" He hung up the phone, before looking around, taking in to account where his feet had taken him while he was on his cell.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

The sun was shining down on the islands, reflecting off the shimmering blue sea, a gentle breeze was causing the grass to sway softly back and forth. The whole of what many people deemed to be the 'main island' was buzzing as it was the first day of school, much to the chagrin of the pupils who had to attend said educational institutes. There were three high schools on said island: Destiny High School, Destiny Academy and Hillside Grammar institute, a private school, which just so happened to be on the side of a hill. The students who attended Destiny High School had to wear a uniform, which consisted of a white shirt or blouse, black pants or a light blue tartan skirt, black shoes, and a tie, depending on their year group, with the freshmen and sophomores wearing a light blue tie, with dark blue and white stripes, and the juniors and seniors wearing a tie that was a single shade of blue, not too light, not too dark, which had the school emblem printed on the front. The pupils at Destiny Academy however were given the choice of wearing whatever clothes they wanted, within reason of course.

There was one pupil from Destiny High School who couldn't wait to go back. Her crimson red hair fluttered in the breeze as she lent on an old stone wall, looking out to the sea. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She turned to see a girl wearing the same school uniform she was. The girl had brown hair, and was slightly smaller than Kairi.

"Oh, hey Selphie," Kairi replied, "Yes, it is."

"Where's Namine?" Selphie asked, walking over to the wall, before jumping up onto it. She patted the wall next to her, "Sit." The redhead complied.

"I let her off her leash," She giggled, "She's away to get Roxas, Sora and Riku, they're over at the fountain."

"Do they know that we'll be off timetable today?"

"I doubt it, Roxas couldn't care less, Riku has to 'hang' with his freshman 'buddy all day, and Sora, he's just a lazy bum."

Selphie jumped off the wall, turning to her friend, "You like him, don't you, Kairi?"

Kairi began to laugh, "Me, like him, no... don't be silly, as a friend yes but like hi-"

"Ha, your cheeks are as red as your hair" Selphie pointed at Kairi, laughing."Kairi and Sora, up a tree, doing thing they shouldn't be."

"Whatever happened to k-i-s-s-i-n-g?" Kairi asked her raven haired friend.

"Ah, you're getting a bit old for that, your sixteen now, he's fifteen, bit too old for kissing."

Kairi giggled nervously, "What if, lets just say, I have a friend, she goes to Hillside, she's sixteen, your teasing her over a boy, only she's never kissed anyone, ever, what do you say then."

"Aww... that would be such a shame, imagine being sixteen, and never having kissed anyone, you can drive, but you've never kissed anyone, except your family."

"Yeah," Kairi looked out towards the sea, her mind elsewhere.

"So, what's this friends name?"

"Erm... Kai-a-ria... yeah Kaiaria."

"So your telling me, you have a sixteen year old friend who has never been kissed, who's name rhymes with Diarrhea?"

"Eww," Kairi squirmed, "But, basically, yes."

"Well, what do you say you bring ol' Diarrhea to my party on Friday and I'll hook her up with someone, maybe Sora?" Selphie squealed jumping up and down.

"No!" Kairi said abruptly, before covering her mouth, "I mean, I'll phone her tonight, she might be able to, not sure what the junior dorm curfew is at Hillside."

"Probably won't matter, apparently Sora's in love with a certain girl at our school anyway." Selphie began to hum.

"Who?" Kairi asked.

"A certain, beautiful redhead." Selphie giggled.

"Who is it, Selph?"

"Guess?"

"Erm... Oerba Dia Vanille?"

"She's in Riku's year, right?"

"Yeah she is." Kairi nodded.

"No, then it's not her, they are in our year."

"Hmm... There are no redheads in our year, Selph."

Selphie sighed, "Have you ever wanted to just slap sense into your best friend?"

"All the time, why?"

"Oh, nothing." Selphie looked out to the sea, _She is so... Glaket... I mean, come on. _She turned back around. "Oh look Kairi, It's Namine and the boys." And sure enough, Kairi turned to see Namine, with Riku, Roxas and a very wet Sora in tow. This caused both Kairi and Selphie to burst into a simultaneous fit of laughter, directed at the poor brunette.

"What... t-the... What the hell happened to you Sora?" Selphie asked, holding back tears. Her question was met with incoherent mumbles. Kairi looked at Sora, feeling pity for him. But she couldn't think of anything to say to make him feel any better, so she said the first thing that came to her head.

"Woo, Wet T-shirt contest," She started waving her hands in the air, which caused Sora to start laughing. "How did you manage this?"

"Well," Sora grumbled "If you really must know, Roxas thought it would be funny to throw me into the fountain."

"C'mon Lazy bum," She walked over to him and put her arm around him, lets go."

Riku turned to Selphie, "You know that isn't what really happened?"

"I guessed as much," She had to look up to meet Riku's eyes, he was quite a bit taller than her, "Well, Riku, enlighten me, please."

"Alright..." Riku began to explain what had happened.

_"Oh Hey Nam." Sora shouted towards the petite blond who was walking towards Sora and Riku, "You seen Roxas?"_

_"No, We told him to get you here."_

_"Probably saw you and ran a mile," Riku stated, coolly._

_"Why would he do that, Mr Meanie?" She asked, Punching his arm._

_"One, He's head over heels in love, and two, You punch like a man."_

_"Hey!"_

_Riku gestured towards her, "Compliment."_

_She smiled towards him, before turning her eyes towards Sora, "Speaking of head over heels."_

_"No, no, no, I'm not hea-"_

_"Look Sora it's Kairi," Riku pointed out, which caused Sora to freeze up, a petrified look on his face. "Just kidding!" What followed could only be described as pure idiocy, as Sora chased Riku around the fountain, Namine turned to see Roxas standing next to her._

_"Oh hey, Roxas." She smiled at him._

_"Uh, Hi..."_

_He threw his satchel onto the ground, before sitting on the side of the fountain. "Enjoy Twilight Town?" he asked her._

_"Yeah, It's really, really hot."_

_"Told you so, did you try the sea-salt ice cream?"_

_"Yup, t'was yummy." She turned to him, and licked her lips, which caused him to look at his shoes, he must have been as red as the Twilight Town sky._

_"What the hell are they doing? Roxas asked._

_"Well, Riku pretended Kairi was behind Sora, who loves her... anyway, he fell for it and now he's mad."_

_"Want me to see if they have any sea salt ice cream in the ice cream parlour over there?"_

_"Okay Roxie." A few minutes Roxas returned holding two sky blue ice creams. "Thank you Roxie," Namine took her ice cream from him. "They two are still at it."_

_"Hey Sora," Roxas shouted, "Got a minute?"_

_"No," He panted for air, "B-bit busy."_

_"I've got a picture of Kairi in her underwear."_

_He waved his cellphone at Sora, who came storming over, "Let's see it!" he demanded._

_"Ooh, you perv Sora," Roxas turned his head and smiled at Sora, who didn't notice Riku crouching down behind him. Sora then tried to push Roxas who replied with a push of his own, causing Sora to tumble over Riku and into the fountain._

_"I am going to kill you!" Sora shouted, his hair flat, water gushing from his mouth._

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Here we are then." A now somewhat dry Sora stood in front of his friends, his arms stretched wide, beyond him was a large brown building. It was hard to tell how old it was from the outside, although the style of the building suggested it must have been a few decades old.

"Still looks like a carpet factory." Roxas groaned, "I am not going in there." This caused Namine to grab his arm and drag him towards the front door.

"Well that was interesting," Kairi commented on the interaction between Namine and Roxas, slightly bewildered. The school bell rang, so they ascended the flight of stairs and entered the school. Kairi walked up to the first member of staff she saw. "Excuse me, where do we go?"

"Freshmen go to the games hall, Sophomores to the conference room, Juniors to the social area and seniors to the music department." The man instructed her, monotonously.

"Okay, thanks." She walked back to her friends. "We go to the conference room, Riku, you've to go to the social area, see you later?"

"Yeah," The silver haired teen replied, "Later, Sora."

"Later man." Sora waved as Riku began to head away from them.

"To the conference room!" Selphie cried, pointing her arm skywards before running off through the crowd.

"This is gonna be one hell of a year."

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16/6/09 **Updated 22/08/10. Updated 20/10/10  
**


	2. From Here to Eternity

Okay... to make the story work out, some teachers need to be 'OC''s... but I won't delve into detail with them, just second names, So just make them a random character in your mind from KH that I haven't used ;)

Thanks Dynasty021 and melodinami for the reviews. I recommend **A fate of the Dark** by Dynasty021, which I shall review whenever I have time to read the newest chapter.

More Kairi underwear perving from Sora... _Kinda_

Really gonna pick up around CH4/5 :)

Going to Canada for a month on Sunday, So chance of updates is low. I'll try write a few chapters and put them in my Document Manager though :)

Had this wrote about 10 minutes before I posted chapter one, but my Internet cut so I lost most of it :/ Therefore I kinda rushed it, so expect mistakes.

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

**Foreshadowing Music FTW.**

The song in this chapter is T_he Last Day Of Summer _by _The Cure._

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The conference room was stuffy and crowded. Sora guessed there must have been about a hundred people in the room, which was designed to house around twenty, thirty tops. He looked around for a seat, but could only see the odd one in the middle of a few of the rows, while the cushioned seats around the outside had all been taken. He saw his friend Tidus waving at him from the far corner, but all the seats nearby were taken. The room was laid out so that the cushioned seats were around the sides in an upside down 'U' shape. These were all next to tables in a similar shape, with rows of regular seats in the middle. He walked over to Tidus and noticed a stack of the comfortable seats, so he took one and placed it next to Tidus.

"Smart git, no one else thought of that." Tidus laughed.

"Long time no see Tidus." Sora smiled at him.

"Those... Fourteen hours must have been murder mate." Tidus grinned.

"I was kidding you on." Sora moaned.

"So how are you and Kairi?"

"I'm fine, and she seems fine, why?"

"Not what I meant, I mean, you _and _Kairi." The blond emphasized the difference between what Sora thought and what he meant.

"I am fine, She is fine, Okay?"

"As a couple God damn it!" Tidus hadn't realised that a member of staff had walked in the room, and everyone else had quickly became silent.

"Thank you Mister Martingale." The man who had walked into the room replied. Tidus waved his hand, as if acknowledging the man's comment. "Don't test me boy."

"But sir, It's school, tests are important."

"Do you want me to get your dad son, I'm more than willing, he'll be in the staff room just now.'

"No Mister Bell." Tidus resigned from arguing.

"Right. As you know, this is now your sophomore year here at Destiny Islands High School, and this is your first official assembly of the year. First of all, welcome back, now, don't expect an easy run, this is your most important year of school thus far, and the hard work starts now. Second of all, glad to see you all in decent enough uniform, but, girls, less fake tan please, the boys hate it, and it smells, bad. Speaking of uniform, school blazers should be worn, as you are an example to the freshm- Martingale! Carmichael! What is it that's so important that you need to discuss it now?"

"It's nothing sir." Tidus replied, holding back his laughter.

"Carmichael?"

"We... We were, we were discussing erm... Who would win in a fight."

"Between whom?"

"Eh..."

"Tell me young man!" Mr Bell demanded.

"Linkandchucknorris." Sora blurted out, which lead to a roar of laughter from his classmates. Sora could swear that Mr Bell even smirked.

"Perhaps you should join the debating club Sora?"

"Nah..." Sora declined the offer.

"Anyway, my next point, the new school building will be finished in twenty months, and this means that you will be the first every senior year to graduate from the new building. Take that as an honour, as, for the past thirty three years there's been some pretty shitty graduating classes from this building." A few students started sniggering by his choice of words but he continued nonetheless. "We have thirteen new teaching staff members and I would like you to welcome them all with the same kind of respect that you treat your current teachers." This again brought more laughs. "Also, last years class three will have me as their Religious Education teacher, instead of Mister Daily who has left the school due to unforeseen circumstances." Again, more laughs. "Now, please wait for your names to be called, then please come up to the front collect your timetables and move to your first period classroom."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Woot, schedule checking time!" Sora said to his friends, before snatching Kairi's timetable from her grasp.

"Hey, I haven't even read that!" She complained.

"I haven't read mine," He retorted, sticking his tongue out playfully.

**Kairi Shaw, Year 10**

**Class 3**

**M Math Math Interval PS Biology Lunch English English PE**

**T PS PS Interval Math Computing Lunch English Biology RE**

**W Computing Computing Interval Math Home Ec Lunch PS Biology Biology**

**T English English Interval RE Math Lunch Computing PE PE**

**F Computing Biology Interval PE PE Lunch Home Ec PS PS**

"Not bad Kai, Five periods of Maths, Biology, English, Computing and PE, Two of RE, Two of Home Ec, And six of Personal Study" Sora told her, "What about mine?"

"Um, you have Five of Maths, History, PE, English and Physics, Two RE, Two Home Ec, Six Personal Study." She replied, smiling.

"Let me see," He grabbed his from her, "We have all the same classes except when you learn about sex I learn about electricity, and when I'm learning about Hitler, you get to do Bill Gates, figuratively, of course." He turned to her. "I just can't escape you, can I?"

"Hey you guys!" Roxas called over to them, before he took the empty seat next to Sora, "So, we have maths together, obviously, but what else?"

For the whole first period the teacher never showed up, which led to Sora, Kairi and Roxas to discuss their timetables. It turned out that Roxas was in all of Sora's classes except history, which clashed with music.

"I'll text Riku." Sora told them.

_I have Maths PS Physics English PE History & Home Ec. Kai has same except Bio instead of Physics & Computing instead of History, Wednesday has Music history, you?_

He waited a few minutes for his reply.

_I'm in your maths class (Y), just getting a lecture from Bell, he's our teacher... I got Maths Tech Physics Computing PE Computing & first aid course lol, see u in 5 mins._

"Riku has maths with us," Sora stated loudly, "Tech on his own, Physics with me, Computing with Kai, PE with us and a First Aid course."

"No personal study?" Roxas asked.

"He got it taken off him because of what happened at last years winter formal, apparently." Kairi answered.

"Oh, by the way, what are we doing off timetable today?" Sora chirped into the conversation.

"Dunno, probably sitting watching the freshers play tether ball." Roxas answered. Sora and Kairi both laughed at this. "Oh yeah, Riku has to sit and babysit one of them for the next two weeks, Ha!"

"Shut it Wednesday!" Riku growled from the doorway before making his way to the back of the room to join his friends.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Roxas retorted.

"Actually your name is Roxas McCartney-Middleweek," Riku stated, in a matter-of-fact tone. With this, Mr Bell walked in the room.

"Here's the plan today kids. The seniors have to go to the conference room to discuss the years plans, Juniors have to go fetch their 'buddy' and go to their classes, and sophomores, nobody cares about you, so you get personal study today until your period seven class, which you should attend as normal."

"Free day!" Sora whispered, high-fiving Roxas.

"Now, hop-to!" Mr Bell shouted.

"Bub-bye Riku," Roxas grinned.

"Later, dude." Sora said before walking off. Riku sat with his head in his hands. He began to unfold the piece of paper Mr Bell had given him earlier which told him who his freshman buddy was.

_Denzel Strife._

"Great."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Nothing I am  
Nothing I dream  
Nothing is new  
Nothing I think or believe in or say  
Nothing is true_

_It used to be so easy  
I never even tried  
Yeah it used to be so easy..._

_But the last day of summer  
Never felt so cold  
The last day of summer  
Never felt so old  
Never felt so..._

_All that I have  
All that I hold  
All that is wrong  
All that I feel for or trust in or love  
All that is gone_

_It used to be so easy  
I never even tried  
Yeah it used to be so easy..._

_But the last day of summer  
Never felt so cold  
The last day of summer  
Never felt so old  
The last day of summer  
Never felt so cold_

_Never felt so..._

Leaning against a Papou tree, listening to his iPod. Sora was deep in thought. He payed no attention whatsoever to the red and blond flashes in the corner of his eye as Namine and Kairi were messing around on the beach. He was thinking about school, wondering how he could possibly survive another three whole years. He felt that one day, he would just snap under all the pressure heaped upon him, from school, to his social life and even in his family. One day, could be tomorrow, could be next year, he felt that it would finally get to him. But even though his mind was clouded with these thoughts he was adamant to keep a straight face, for it to seem like nothing was bothering him in the slightest.

"Watcha thinking about?" Sora was thrown out of his trance by a calm soothing voice.

"Erm.." He scratched the back of his head, "Nothing really, Kai."

"Hmm, sure." Kairi smiled, "I can read you like a book Sora, I know when some thing's up."

_Apparently not. _Sora sniggered.

"Hey, what's so funny?" The redhead asked, confused.

"It's nothing honest." Sora turned to Kairi, placing his arms on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes for a moment. "I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about, Okay?" He smiled at her, a smile which she returned somewhat meekly.

"Yeah, I believe you." He retracted his arms from her shoulders, watching her intently as she curled her hair behind her ear, before opening her mouth to speak once more. "So, Selphie's party's on Friday, are you still going." She asked him, turning her head slightly while looking at him.

"Um, yeah, Friday. Friday sounds good. What time?"

"Half seven, don't be too late Sora, there's casually late and then there's Sora late." She started giggling, and he soon joined in.

"Oi, lovebirds." They turned to see Tidus waving from the top of the beach, "It won't be long till we have to go back for PE, are you coming in the water or not?"

"No, I'll pass Tidus, I haven't got my swimming costume." Kairi pouted. "Sorry"

"Swimming costume or not," Sora turned to Kairi, a mischievous look in his eyes, "Your gonna get wet." In a sudden movement that caught a bewildered Kairi completely off guard, he swooped down and picked her up, bridal style.

"Put me down!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to kick and punch him, but he just looked down at her and smiled. He walked down the beach, Kairi in tow, before he finally got to the water. "Haha, very funny Sora, put me down now, I'm in my uniform, not great for swimming."

"I'll be the judge of that." Sora replied coolly, before wading into the water till it was knee deep. He breathed in heavily before throwing Kairi forwards into the crystal clear sea.

"I hate you so much!" She screamed, kicking and splashing in the water, but he simply laughed at her. He turned and started walking towards the Paupo tree once more, but was suddenly stopped when Kairi pulled his arm, causing him to fall back under the water. After a few seconds, he emerged from the water, before shaking his hair, causing it to splash over Kairi.

"Hey!" She cried.

"What?"

"You, you threw me in the fucking water, that's what!"

"Um..." Sora paused briefly, "Wet t-shirt contest, woo?" He raised his arms, mocking what Kairi had said to him earlier.

"Sora you perv! Jesus, you can see my bra!" She turned slightly.

"Well I didn't notice till now!" He put his hand over his eyes.

"Well now you did, perv."

"I really don't care Kai."

"Don't look at my bra!"

"My eyes are covered dammit, stop going on about your bra!"

"Jeez Sora I'm just messing with you." He lowered his hand from his eyes and smiled. "Stop looking at my bra!"

"Fuck this!" Sora turned around to walk up to the Paupo tree once more but was tackled by Kairi, who unintentionally toppled him causing the pair to crash down onto the sand. Sora looked up bewildered at the redhead who was now lying on top of him, the tide washing over them.

"Um... Hey?" He smiled, his cheeks were bright red.

"Hi..." Kairi replied, just as red as Sora, "I'm Kairi, have we met?"

Sora laughed. "I hope so!" Kairi laughed too. Sora began to try and sit up, gently pushing Kairi off of him.

"Hold on." She pushed him back down. "You've got something on your cheek." She started rubbing his cheek with her finger, trying to get whatever it was off of his face.

"What is it?" He asked, grimacing slightly.

"No idea." She smiled.

Over on the beach, Tidus and Selphie were looking through their school bags, while Namine was sunbathing, much to Roxas' surprise.

"Hey guys, look." Roxas pointed out Sora and Kairi in the water."They really should get a room, no?"

"Aww," Selphie cooed. "It's like 'From here to Eternity', Tidus,. get my camera."

"I didn't know you shot porn Selph." Tidus laughed as he handed her the camera.

"Shut up!" She commanded before taking photos of the two teens in the water.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Hey Denzel, I'm Riku." Riku smiled at the kid who was standing opposite him. He had a pale brown shade of hair, cyan eyes and was wearing a tight white shirt with black skinny jeans.

"Good for you." The teen replied, his eyes not leaving the ground.

"Shy?" Riku inquired.

"Nope."

"Sick?"

"Nope."

"Ah I get it," Riku smirked. "You're a tad emo, don't worry kid, been there, done that."

"I am not emo!" Denzel cried.

"Ah, stage one, denial. Don't worry, Denny, you're big brother was an emo too at one point."

"When was this then?" Denzel enquired.

"Well, okay." Riku admitted, "More than 'one point' then. When he was in 7th grade, he wore all black and straightened his hair. In the 10th he had purple streaks in it, and had purple nail varnish."

"Hmm... Cloud is strange though. One minute he's all, _Oh Tifa. _Then the next he's head over heels for that Aerith chick." Riku laughed at Denzel as he scrunched his face up when imitating his older sibling.

"That's our Cloud."

"Riku, is it true what Cloud told me? That the cages outside of the canteen aren't used to store the garbage bins anymore, so the freshmen get locked in, then they get pee'd on?" Denzel asked Riku, a concerned look on his face.

"Ha, no they don't, It's just a myth to scare the freshers, people have been saying it for years, and I don't think it's ever happened, well, at least since I came up here."

"So this school is pretty good then?"

"For a school, yeah, but the buildings in pretty bad condition, we're moving to a new one in your junior year, although yours truly will have graduated by then, hopefully." Riku smirked.

"So, you got a girlfriend then Riku?" Denzel teased him.

"No way man, I prefer to stay 'on the market'."

"So you're gay then?"

"I am not gay! Trust me mate, I've had more girlfriends than you've had wet dreams."

"Hey! I don't pee the bed!" Denzel cried out, defiantly.

"Oh God!" Riku sighed, before letting his palm rest against his forehead. _This is gonna be a long two weeks._

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"We have to get them together, soon." Selphie looked up at Tidus, who was sitting across the table from her.

"Yeah, but when? And how?" Tidus asked her, she pondered for a moment, before snapping her fingers.

"Friday. My party, It's perfect!"

"You'll need booze, lots of booze" Tidus laughed.

"Why?"

"Because, Sora is scared of being rejected."

"And Kairi needs a little push to come out with the truth, she is clearly in love with him." Selphie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, need to get them together soon, before it's too late."

"Yup, where is Sora anyway?"

"He's away to one of the other shops on the street."

"What for?"

"Dunno, probably gum or something."

"Condoms?" Selphie suggested

"I doubt that" Tidus smiled at her.

"You never know." Selphie winked at Tidus, who opened his mouth to continue the conversation.

"Here comes Kairi now." As he said that, Selphie turned around to see Kairi standing in the middle of the floor, holding a tray with four drinks cups and an array of fast food on it, from burgers to fries to a McFlurry. Selphie waved at her.

"Hey Kairi, we're over here." Kairi walked over, placing the tray on the table before sitting next to Selphie.

"Where's Sora?" She asked.

Selphie replied, "He's away buying cond-"

"Something." Tidus butted in, "He's away buying something."

"Oh, okay" She smiled before she began to eat.

* * *

Update tomorrow? Reviews means maybe... Someone from my School has Swine Flu, so I might not go in tomorrow, which means I can type some of this up :)

18/6/09 **Updated 22/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	3. Not Even at First Base

Back From Canada!

Was OK... Managed to type up a few chapters while my cousin was working :) Only thing is I have typed Chapter 5, but not 4, so give me time :)

Came back, my sister dropped her new laptop, it's dead, so she is using the one I use, which is her's technically but she broke mine, so I use it... This thing has half the screen falling off, No battery, a dodgy keyboard and far too many viruses... Damn her!

This is a short one, Just giving a little detail on Roxas, and nudging the story along...

Right, The next chapter (4) will focus primarily on Kairi, Namine & Selphie, And then the story shall begin to unfold...

And another thing, for people who are interested in the story... Teenage Kicks will have three sections, I probably won't note them, but you will be able to see them for yourself... Section one will begin in chapter 6 I think, but there's a little tiny thing you should remember from chapter 5 for section two, but I won't tell you what. Confused? Just ignore me...

***As of the 22****nd**** of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song in this chapter is _You stole the Sun_ by _Twisted Wheel. _It'll make sense later on...

* * *

_Sophomore year in High School. A really dysfunctional group of teenagers. What could possibly go wrong?_

* * *

"Okay you little bags of shit listen up! You're in the tenth grade now, so you need to grow some balls, and you need to do it right now!"

_He's away on one of his little rants again._

"Each one of you needs to stand up and be counted, that bitch of a head teacher is trying to fuck everything up, I mean, sophomores, juniors and seniors together for gym, what the fuck? At least it isn't everyone from the three, It would be a fucking riot, with what, about three hundred people, seriously, c'mon!"

_Would it sound quite strange if I said I missed hearing this?_

"I just wonder if you tenth graders can keep up with the real men, eh? I've heard that Middleweek is a basketball expert, Carmichael is a soccer 'prodigy' and Martingale's swimming is second to none, but you know what I think, I don't give a shit!"

_Sure, he's a douche bag, but it adds some humor to the locker room._

"Carmichael! Listen to me!" Sora looked up towards him, his eyes fixed upon him. "I feel, I feel, that as part of the Destiny High School Disciplinary Commission, I should try and motivate you all to your peak. Now Carmichael, Give me a high five man!" Sora ignored him, and instead just pulled his white gym T-shirt over his head.

"Don't leave me hanging now!" Roxas stood up to walk past him. "Hey chicken wuss, how's the girlfriend?"

"Drop it Seifer." Roxas told him sternly, looking into his eyes. He walked out the door.

"Well, what the fuck was that for?" Seifer asked, a confused look strewn across his face.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_You stole the sun._

_You stole the sun and it's raining outside,_

_You stole the sun you ain't giving it to anyone._

_You stole the sun._

"Hey man," Sora waved at Roxas as he walked up to him. He fixed the bottom of his shorts as he took a seat next to him. "Where have you been all day?" Roxas looked down at his trainers, removing his earphones.

"Nowhere really, to be honest." He replied, untying his shoe laces before tying them again, "Just dealing with some shit."

"With Namine?" Sora smiled at him.

"Um," Roxas smiled back at him nervously. "Yeah."

"Asked her out yet?" Sora inquired.

"No, why would I?"

"Because you _love _her." Sora teased.

"So you _love_ Kairi, where's that one going?" Roxas retorted, grinning mischievously.

"Shut up!" Sora stood up before walking towards Riku.

To Roxas, Gym was generally okay; He enjoyed it, was good at it, and got to hang out with his friends. But, on the contrary, he also had to hang out with the one person whom he hated more than anyone else. Seifer Almasy. Despite the fact that Seifer was two grades above him, Since day one, they had always been rivals. He had to admit that whenever Seifer set himself a goal, he achieved it, even if his methods were questionable. His ideas of what's wrong and what's right were almost the polar opposite of Roxas', but as Sora often said to him, everything is just a different shade of grey. He hated everything about Seifer. The way he walked. The way he talked. That idiotic smirk that he often wears. Make no mistake about it, he was a popular guy, Roxas knew this. But the truth of the matter was that all his friends hated him, everyone knew it, hell, he probably even knew it. They were all scared of, which was something that Roxas could never fathom a reason as to why. Sure he was a pretty strong guy, but he was nothing to be afraid of.

"Roxas, you're up." Roxas was woken from his daydream by Riku shouting over to him. "C'mon man, we need a run." Roxas rose from the bench, the wind swept through his spiky blonde hair as he began to walk forwards, his feet treading wearily along the red ash below him towards Riku, who had his arm outstretched, pointing a baseball bat at Roxas. "Give 'em hell, kid." Riku smiled at him. Roxas looked over to the pitcher. In front of him stood Fujin, Seifer's right hand woman, she stared at him, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Ready?" Roxas nodded at her, and held the bat over his shoulder. He looked to see Sora fixing his hair on the third base, Tidus on the second and Wakka on the first. Standing beside Sora was Seifer, Roxas glared at him before turning to Fujin. She pitched the ball towards him, and he swung the bat outwards. He sighed dejectedly as his bat collided with nothing as he swung through thin air.

"Steeee-rike one!" Seifer shouted, laughing at Roxas. He nodded at Fujin who again threw the ball towards the blond haired boy. He once more attempted to hit the ball, but for the second consecutive time, failed.

"Seeeee-trike two!" Seifer was now clutching his sides, almost on the ground laughing,. Roxas looked at Sora, who mouthed something towards him.

"Stay calm."

Roxas breathed in heavily, before flicking the bat off the ground, letting go of it as it spun before catching the hilt again. Raising the bat once more, he closed his eyes and breathed out. Fujin grunted and tossed the ball towards him, faster than the previous two pitches. Roxas swung the bat once more, his eyes still closed tightly. This time he connected with the ball, not as cleanly as he would have liked to, but he was grateful that he had at least hit it. He threw the bat towards the ground, causing the aluminum instrument to ring out as it bounced across the red ash.

"Jesus Christ Roxas!" Roxas heard Riku shout. He opened his eyes to see a crowd of people around third base. He mentally cursed before running over, passing the now deserted first and second base. He waded through the crowd to see the baseball lying not far off the marker, with Seifer lying unconscious next to it. A moment later realization struck Roxas as he came to terms with what he had done. And he smiled.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"I can't believe what you did to Seifer." Sora told Roxas, as they walked back towards the school building, "Even when he woke up he was totally out of it."

"Yeah," Roxas laughed, "Maybe I knocked some sense into him."

"C'mon Roxas, you could have seriously hurt him." Sora stated, in a somewhat serious tone.

"It was an accident." Roxas pleaded.

"I know that." Sora pulled the back door to the school open, with Roxas following closely behind him.

"But you make it out to be my fault."

"No, you just seem so happy about it."

"Hey! It's not as if it left a scar or anything." Sora looked at him, puzzled.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean if I had meant it, I wouldn't just knock him out." Roxas turned and walked into the locker room.

"Don't say something like that man, I know you hate him, but come on!" Sora turned and faced him.

"Why shouldn't I, I hate him, he hates me, If I wanna hurt him then that's my business, Okay?"

"Yeah man," Sora backed off, sensing that Roxas could snap, "I get it."

"It's just him and his pretty little face and his stupid gang of friends, I hate him!"

"Calm Roxas." Sora sat down on the bench, and looked up towards Roxas.

"I remember, back in TT, me and James wouldn't take any of his shit. If he tried it, he got what was coming to him."

"James?"

"Yeah, my old best bud, James Hayner, haven't spoke to him in years man."

"Oh, sorry about that." He placed his hand on Roxas shoulder.

"No worries, oh and while I remember, Me, you and Riku, We're going on a little road trip on Wednesday night." Roxas smiled.

"Where to?" Sora asked, slightly puzzled.

"It's a surprise, dude." Roxas smirked at Sora, who retaliated with a grin of his own.

"Just over night?"

"Should be back early Thursday, you can sleep through your first period class. What do you have anyway?"

"No idea, lost my timetable." Roxas slapped his own face, and sighed.

"Typical Sora."

* * *

Reviews make the world go round, and make me update ten times faster... Please?

:P

25/7/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	4. Photographs and Pop Cans

Another Chapter Omgz O.o And a bit of a Cliffie! Just remember... Not a totally happy story... It has angst as a genre now, instead of Friendship.

Not as long as 1 & 2, but _it is _4:55am... and It doesn't break at all, just one section. Expect that, in the out of school chapters!

The original song kinda spoiled something upcoming... Also, It isn't a Songfic... They are there to help you to, y'know feel what the characters feeling, or to set the tone, or to give away some details...

Review... Please... Or Cliffhanger will not be resolved...

***As of the 22****nd**** of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song in this chapter is _We're So Far Away _by _Mae_

* * *

Selphie was crazy. Kairi had figured that much out. She lay on her stomach on top of her bed, her chin resting on her clasped hands. She was watching Selphie do some sort of 'dance'. She thought she might be having a fit or something, it was just that strange. Yet it was somewhat mesmerizing to watch the brunettes hair lap back and forth, her arms flailing everywhere. She felt the bed push in next to her, and looking up, her violet eyes met their sky blue counterparts belonging to Namine.

"Hey," Her blonde friend smiled at her, "Want some candycorn?" Kairi smiled back and shook her head.

"No thanks, Nam. I'm fine for now, Look at her go," She gestured to Selphie. "It's hypnotic." Namine giggled.

"Selphie's crazy." Kairi nodded at her before looking at her cell phone. _No new messages_. She was starting to get worried. Sora, Roxas and Riku weren't in school today, and when she had went round to Sora's house, a surprisingly cheery Squall didn't have the slightest clue as to his whereabouts. She had called his cell, but it had just went on to his answer phone, and no matter how many times she had tried, all she heard on the other line was that incredibly annoying woman telling her that 'The person you have called is currently unavailable, Please leave your message after the tone.' And she had, but still nothing. Calling Riku's cell turned out to be an equally fruitless venture, while Roxas' phone did ring, but there was no answer to it.

"I'm sure they are okay." Namine tried to reassure her, but Kairi could her facade and all she saw was an equally worried Namine.

"Yeah," Kairi lied. "Boys will be boys, and all that, they're probably just away getting drunk or something." Namine giggled, before turning to Selphie.

"Selphie!" She shouted. Her friend turned to face her, she was out of breath. "Change the radio station, will you? There is only so much trance that a person can take." Selphie sighed, before doing as Namine had asked. When she found another station, commercials were on.

"I'm gonna use this moment to go to the toilet, and then get us some stuff from downstairs, you girls want anything?" She asked Kairi and Namine. They looked at each other, before Kairi spoke.

"I'm good, go ask my mom where the cans of pop are though, my fridge is empty."

"And you?" Selphie pointed both her fingers like a gun at Namine.

"Could you get me some sea-salt ice cream from the freezer?"

"Me too!" Kairi added.

"Okay, okay! I'm not your slave," Selphie stated before skipping out of the room.

_Welcome back to DNR, The number one place for Destiny Island News._

"So," Namine turned to Kairi, "What do you wanna watch tonight."

"I dunno," The redhead replied. "A scary movie?"

"No thanks," Namine whimpered.

"Kidding, kidding." Kairi pulled her into a hug. "Let's see what DVDs I have." They both walked towards the Television, and, one at either side of it, began combing through Kairi's DVD collection.

_Our main headline tonight, a large fire has broken out at the 'puckin pizza' pizzeria on Broadway street in the downtown area, Firefighters are currently at the scene._

"They better 'puckin' hurry up." Kairi muttered to herself, although she wasn't even consciously listening to the radio.

"Ooh, Mamma Mia?" Namine asked.

"No way, It's _too_ cheesy." Kairi stated, Namine Sighed.

"Twilight?"

"Not watching it till I can force Sora to watch it." Kairi giggled.

"About Sora," Namine put her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "You really like him, don't you?"

_The culprits have been described as being two people, of unknown age, ethnicity, or gender. They were wearing black cloaks. The value of the items they have reportedly stolen is around $13,000._

"It's complicated."

"How is it complicated?"

"It just is." Kairi stated blankly.

"How?" Namine persisted.

"We're best friends, Nam"

"He likes you." Namine smiled.

"Of course he does! He's my best friend." Namine sighed.

_And on a lighter note, who says dogs and cats can't be friends? One dog and cat have certainly ignored this! The dog, who is called Angelo..._

"Don't act silly with me, Shaw. You and Sora. Spill. Now!" Kairi inhaled deeply.

"Well, he seems to be getting a lot closer to me lately, but maybe it's just in my head."

"Examples?"

"Yes, sir!" Kairi laughed. "Well at the beach, he picked me up, threw me in the water and then he didn't want to go further than five feet from me."

"Oh really? The version I heard, and saw, is that you tackled him and wouldn't let him up! How do you plead?" Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Guilty! Can we change the subject now?"

"Fine, I'm sure it was much more of an, _uplifting experience _for Mr. Carmichael anyway." Namine laughed.

"What do you mean?" Kairi inquired.

"Oh nothing, It's just, It must have been pretty _hard_ for Sora to adjust to you lying on him."

"Not following you at all."

"All I'm saying, Is that when you aren't there, poor Sora must be bored _stiff. _All I'm saying is, throw him a _bone _sometimes, give him a _standing_ ovation, Help him _rise_ above all his obstacles." Kairi looked at her.

"Moving on, Why don't we watch Harr- You dirty bitch!" She started laughing as she realized the underlying message to Namine's little speech.

"Took you a while to catch on, eh?"

_And, returning to our story earlier today, there was a collision between two cars on the country route between the seaside town of Marina and the town of Summerview. The collision is believed to occur between two and five on Thursday morning. One of the cars involved is no longer at the scene, while the other, a 1995 White F-_

"I'm back!" Selphie screamed, entering the room, carrying a box of cola cans, with three wrapped sea-salt ice cream bars lying on the top.

_Police have confirmed that they have found blood on the windscreen of the car, and that they will continue searching for those who were in the car at the time of the crash. They have also confirmed that they believe there were multiple people inside the vehicle, a claim they have made based on the positioning of the bloodstains in the car._

"Jesus Christ." Namine said. "That sounds pretty bad"

"What kind of car was it?" Selphie asked.

"We don't know because you're to loud!" Namine stated.

"Sorry." Selphie pouted.

"As I was saying, lets watch Harry Potter!" Kairi suggested.

"Whish ome?" Selphie asked, eating her ice cream.

"Four?" Namine asked.

"Four it is!" Kairi concluded.

_And the time is 12:30pm, here's We're So Far Away by Mae, Goodnight everyone!_

Kairi placed the DVD into the player, before walking back and helping Namine set up a sleeping bag on the floor. Selphie sat and watched them, still eating away at her Ice cream.

"Enjoying yourself" Kairi asked her.

"Yesh!" She replied.

"She's using her many years experience sucking right now." Kairi whispered to Namine, who began to laugh.

"What ish it?" Selphie asked.

"It's nothing, honest." Namine recomposed herself, and moved on to the next sleeping bag.

_Remembering, everything,_

_about my world and when you came._

_Wondering, the change you'd bring,_

_means nothing else would be the same._

_Did you know, what you were doing, did you know._

_Did you know how you would move me well,_

_I don't really think so._

_but the night came down and swept us away._

_and the stars they seemed,_

_to paint the most elaborate scene today._

Within a few minutes, Kairi's floor now had three sleeping bags lying across it, parallel to the television. On the left a sky blue one, and the right an orange one. In the center lay Kairi's pink sleeping bag, as she had opted to sleep on the floor with her friends, rather than in her bed. She walked over to her bed to pick up her cell phone, checking it for any calls or eyes glimmered with hope when she read she had one new message. She opened it, only to be left disappointed. She really didn't care about the money she could save by switching to some price plan, she cared about Sora. About Riku and Roxas. She lay down in her sleeping bag, clutching her cell phone against her chest. She looked up at her wall, which Namine was currently surveying. It was covered completely in photographs. And for all the photos of a stern looking Riku, a laid back Roxas and a goofy Sora, she would give them up to see them right now. She was worried. She was so deep in thought she didn't notice Namine lying next to her. She jumped with shock when her blond friend tapped her, handing her a handful of the photos, which Kairi scanned carefully. There was one of Kairi and Riku waiting in line for something, she couldn't remember what. One of a thrilled looking Roxas clutching a petrified Selphie on a rope swing hanging from the Papou tree, dangling over the water. One of Sora dressed as a vampire for Halloween, with a pumpkin mask lifted up over his head. He couldn't decide which to go as. She found it so cute, he must have been seven years old then! As she looked through them all, she wondered why Namine had given her these specific pictures.

_How could we know? that song, this show,_

_we'd learn so much about ourselves._

_From Toledo, to Tokyo,_

_the words were scribed on every page,_

_and now there's books up on our shelves._

_Did you know how you would move us, did you know?_

_When the lights first came upon us,_

_and we saw The Everglow._

_and the moment's magic swept us away._

_and the young mans dream was almost seen so plain._

"The special moment's mean everything." Namine smiled at her.

"We really need to take more photos," Kairi laughed.

"Yeah, because you have three more walls to fill." Namine smiled.

"Two and a half." Kairi stuck her tounge out at Namine, who just realized Selphie was already sleeping.

"Why does that not surprise me?" She asked Kairi. Who just laughed before looking through the photos.

"Where was this one?" Kairi showed Namine a picture of Sora and the blonde.

"That was outside the movies in Summerview, The wall round the corner with the lamppost Sora and Riku used to climb.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Kairi continued to scan through the images, before she noticed one she had never seen. She showed it to Namine.

"Aww! Sora and Kairi on the beach on Monday! Selphie must have put it up." She smiled. Kairi's face turned the color of her hair. "He really likes you by the way."

"We've had this conversation already."

"I mean, he really likes you, like, really!" Namine's eyes lit up.

"As a friend." Kairi stated.

"Nope. Believe me woman!"

"No."

"What if I prove it?" Kairi sat up.

"How can you?"

"I'll find a way, but first, confess your undying love!"

_When was the night_

_that showed us the sign?_

_Revealed in the sky, to leave all behind._

_But where to begin? throwing caution to the wind,_

_We reached for the stars, everything was now ours._

"Okay, I... Love... Riku!" Kairi smiled.

"Kairi!" Namine gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm not bloody serious! He's more of a big brother to me."

"Who do you like then?"

"Roxas?"

"Wha...?"

"What can I say, He is the cheese to my macaroni" Namine seemed taken aback. "I'm kidding Nam."

"So you like Sora?"

"He's Sora, everyone assumes we'll get together at some point, It's just a little too..."

"Perfect?" Namine grinned.

"Yeah, something like that."

_Did you know how you would move me, did you know?_

_Did you know how you would move me?_

_well, I don't even think so._

_but the moment's magic swept us away._

_and it's so close, but we're so far away._

_It's so close, but we're so far away._

* * *

**What is it? Blood? I hope this is not Chris's blood!**

26/07/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated 21/10/10  
**


	5. Coroners, First Aid and Hotboxing

Sorry for the delay, haven't had access to a computer since my last chapter :(

Only four reviews... C'mon people! More reviews = Updates being Harder, Better, Faster Stronger... Daft Punk (Y), Ha, they're doing the sound track for the new Tron movie...

Back on track, 290 hits – 4 reviews... Please...

Tell you what;

Ten reviews (overall) = Really fast chapter

Fifteen reviews (overall) = Two really fast chapters

Twenty reviews (overall) = Three really fast chapters

**If you've liked them all your life, you should just go for it, right? While you still have the chance. SoKai, KaiRiku, Roxamine, etc... It's High School, anything can happen... And it normally does!**

The song is _Car Crash_ by _Our Lady Peace, _There is something in the lyrics, _Really, really, really _important later on... _Really_!

This chapter contains strong language, blood & mild drug use.

PrjCTDLg Out!

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

* * *

"You got us lost you stupid fuckwit!" Sora shouted at Roxas, nursing his head.

"Sorry dude, just a little detour, aye?" Roxas replied, hunched over catching his breath.

"This is brilliant! No car. No phones. No idea where we fucking are!" Sora began to walk through the dimly lit street away from his friends, kicking a crushed pop can, the liquid inside it spraying out after each kick. He couldn't believe it, Roxas had been driving them somewhere, God knows where, and now they were here.

"How far is the car?" Riku asked Roxas. The blond looked at him with a worried look on his face.

"We must have ran a few miles from those guys there, no point anyway, it'll be wrecked in that ditch regardless." Roxas sighed. "I wish I could phone Nam', tell her whats happened, y'know? Tell her I'm sorry. I was supposed to help her revise for a test today, and now I've completely blown my chances with her." He breathed in slowly, "Agh! I feel like such a dick!"

"Where's Sora?" Riku inquired.

"He wandered up that road there." Roxas pointed in the direction Sora had ventured.

"I'll be right back, Rox', gonna go check on him." Riku began to walk down the street. Roxas flung his hand upwards, waving to Riku.

_Tired & jaded_

_this road is unsafe_

_have you been there_

_but time is on your side_

As Riku walked the down the dark street, he tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings. They were in a small village, which seemed to be just one single winding street from top to bottom. That would surely make it easy to find Sora. He looked at the houses to his side. Each one was a small detached house with a garage. They each had a long pristine garden with a multitude of colored flowers. He continued to walk, gradually building his pace in attempt to catch up with his friend. Within a few minutes he spotted Sora sitting on the kerb, his head resting in his hands. Worried, Riku quickly ran towards him.

"Are you okay?" He called. Sora remained hunched over. Riku walked over to him, before sitting beside him on the sidewalk. "Let me see your head."

_You're too stubborn to wait_

_are you listening_

_they want you to know_

_they want you to stay_

Slowly, Sora lifted his head to reveal his face to Riku. The older boy was shocked with what he saw, as Sora's face now resembled a crimson mask. Blood trickled from numerous cuts on his forehead, the most notable a deep laceration mere centimeters from his left eye. His white shirt was now a deep red. Riku put his arm around his friend, who slowly submitted into his grasp. "Does it hurt?" He asked Sora.

"What do you think?" Sora finally spoke. Riku was unsure if he was being sarcastic, so he decided to change the topic of conversation.

"Lets head back up, I'll try and fix you up when we get to Roxas." He tried to reassure the brunette.

"You won't be able to do much." Sora objected.

"I am doing a first aid course at school." Riku reminded him, as he stood up. He then offered to help Sora to his feet. which he obliged to.

"And have been doing for all of three days!" Sora laughed.

"Hey!" Riku pushed him lightly, before looking down to see his own school shirt now a scarlet red, with Sora's hand print clearly visible on his shoulder. _It's just a shirt, _he thought to himself, as they began to walk the road from whence they came.

_But its too much to take_

_so you're running away_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

He guessed he'd been walking thirty, maybe forty minutes. He was nearly there now. He felt fine now, a bit dazed, maybe a broken rib, but overall he felt okay. It was the right hand side of the car that took the brunt of the collision. He tried to recall the events that had transpired that night. They had played hooky from school, left town at about five in the afternoon. Stopped for a Subway at about eight, after the McDonald's drive-thru had refused his credit card. Riku had moaned about all the porn magazines at the gas station at about half past nine and then they had once more hit the road. After that it was a bit harder to remember exactly what happened. The last thing he could remember was a set of headlights blinding his eyes and Sora shouting something inaudibly. Then it all seemed so fuzzy. He remembered running. Running from someone. As to who that someone was, he didn't have the slightest.

He was removed from his chain of thoughts by flashing red and blue lights up ahead. As he shielded his eyes with his hand, he noticed a tattered piece of police line cordoning off a section off the road. The road was completely shut off from the public. _Fucking hell _he thought to himself as he continued to stride forward. He couldn't care less for any restrictions to walking through. He was Roxas Middleweek, and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. He stopped walking, however, when he heard a crunching sound from beneath his feet. He slowly looked down to see thousands of shards of shattered glass, an array of red and white poorly illuminated by the flashing light. He was now standing within a foot of the tape. He looked around, but nobody was anywhere to be seen. Swiftly, he ducked under the police tape and, smiling at what he had accomplished so far, continued to walk until the edge of the road, where his small moment of happiness faded at what lay before him. Beyond a banking, about twenty feet in height, lay a barely unrecognizable white Ford Escort. He grimaced as his eyes surveyed the wrecked vehicle. What was once a pearly white was now mostly dirt brown, the glass that had once made up the windscreen was scattered all over the grass. Wanting to take a closer look, he slowly edged down the steep banking. Around half way down, however he slipped on the wet grass and slid down the banking, and into the underside of the car, which was lying on it's side. He walked around it, noticeably shaking. As he reached the front of the car, he was shocked to see the front passenger area, or lack of. The car had slid down the banking and landed on it's right hand side, front first, causing the bonnet to crush in at one side, just like a soda can. He noticed dried blood caressing the serigated hood of the car, which he immediately realized was Sora's. Sora was sitting next to him in the front of the car, with Riku directly behind Sora. Tears began to form in Roxas' eyes, He was fine, sans his rib being sore and a bit of dried blood on his lip. Riku was shaken, but apart from that was okay. Sora, on the other hand, had taken virtually the entire brunt if the crash. Thinking about Sora, one thing came into Roxas' mind more than anything else. Kairi was going to kill him.

_It's more than I can bear_

Roxas stared as the once pristine white car reflected the red and blue that were thrown it's way.

"Hey kid?" Roxas turned to see a man standing at the top of the banking, he motioned for the mud soaked Roxas to approach him, which he did, although somewhat hesitantly. He brushed himself off, before examining the man. He was clad in a black trenchcoat, holding a black briefcase. He seemed to be of some importance. He spoke once more. "What's your name, kid?" Roxas looked at him, his dark piercing eyes, although showing not the slightest hint of malice, were somewhat intimidating. He was quite a bit taller than Roxas, who wasn't exactly a midget. He had short brown hair that spiked slightly at the front.

"Erm..." Roxas stuttered. "R-Roxas Middleweek, sir."

"Hm... Roxas, is this your car?"

"Yes-sir".

"Do you know who I am?" Once more, Roxas surveyed the man.

"No sir."

"I'm a coroner, do you know what that is?"

"No, sir." Roxas blushed.

"I go to accidents to survey the bodies to determine the cause of death. I'm here for you."

_car crash_

_ending your day_

_at the side of the road_

_are you trembling?_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Roxas!" Riku shouted, as he saw the blond haired kid approaching. "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"Uh... Yeah..." Roxas responded, his mind elsewhere.

"Do you think we should take Sora to the hospital, or what?"

"I don't think you'll need to. I went to see the car, it's a fucking write off man, but, the coroner was there and I explained everything to him, and he gave me your bag out the car." Roxas thrusted the bag towards Riku.

"Nice one, Roxas!" Riku rummaged through the bag, before finally removing a small first aid kit.

"B-bloody cold, isn't it?" Sora shivered, sitting on the pavement. Riku looked at Roxas.

"He's right, we better find somewhere warmer." Roxas smiled before quickly walking on the pavement. "Hey, where are you going?" Riku followed Roxas, who was walking up to every car that was parked on the pavement and trying to open the door handle. "You are mental, mate. This isn't going to work."

Just as Riku finished the sentence, Roxas swung the door of a red Fiat Punto.

"Voilah!" Roxas exclaimed, before motioning for Riku to enter the car.

_They'll wake up today_

_to the papers that say_

_"oh well" it was too hard to tell_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Ah!" Sora cried in pain.

"Sorry dude, but I gotta stitch you up." Riku pulled his hand away from Sora, who was wincing in pain. "That's me done."

"Thanks." Sora said, notably in pain.

"Well," Roxas turned to Sora, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, "What we gonna do for heat then lads?" Riku, who was sitting in the front passengers seat, was first to answer.

"You have your lighter there Roxas?" He asked. Roxas started searching through his pockets, before handing Riku a black and white checkered zippo lighter.

"Hm... How you gonna make heat using that puny little thing?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry Sora, Riku is an expert at using 'puny little things'" Roxas laugher, before being silenced with a slap around the head.

"Hm... Light the car on fire?" Riku asked.

"Ha, funny." Sora said, sarcasm dripping from each letter he spoke.

"Erm... Roxas, random question, do you smoke?" Riku asked.

"Don't be daft, you knob, of course I don't."

"But your mom found those cigarettes in your jacket pocket."

"They were Demyx's."

"Ahh..." Riku understood.

"Wait!" Roxas rummaged through his pockets, before pulling out a clear bag with something dark green at the bottom.

"Is that... Hash?" Sora questioned Roxas.

"Demyx's hash" Roxas replied. Riku shrugged.

"Oh well, fancy hot boxing?" Riku asked.

"Hot boxing?" Roxas asked him, which made Sora laugh.

"Hot boxing," Sora started, "Is the art of jumping in a car, rolling up the windows, and lighting up, in this case in order to provide heat."

"Thank you Sora." said Riku. Roxas looked at him and nodded.

"Okay, light 'em up then!" Roxas agreed.

_he was swerving, they were swerving_

_much too late_

* * *

_Chapter six will have a few previews to later chapters at the end... It's already written... Bar the last few paragraphs..._

03/08/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated 21/10/10  
**


	6. Taking My Mind Off Him

Eh, forget what I said about the reviews in the last chapter, I already have this written so I might as well post it... But reviews are nice...

Preview for later on at the end of the chapter.

This wont happen a lot, but I decided to write this in the first person... I'll do that on the odd occasion... But mostly not...

Sorry for the terribleness, this was written two weeks ago, but I haven't been on a PC. And I now have a totally different direction that I want this story to go, but I'm going to have to really think how to make it all fit.

Oh, and about Roxas, Riku and Sora... they aren't pot smokers... trust me ;)

**Snowkel** - Glad the story makes you happy, but it's not all gonna be cheery

**Luvvin Longtail **- PS1 'Voice acting' sucked :P

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song is _Heaven_ by _Bryan Adams_

* * *

I breathed in slowly, looking into the mirror, I shook my head violently, letting my hair fall down in front of my face. I thought to myself, 'what was the point in going to the party tonight? I mean, I was worried sick about Riku, Roxas and Sora, Nobody had heard from them since Wednesday. Squall had told me not to worry, but apparently even he was so worried he went looking for them this morning. I never saw him in school today, which was quite a shock. And then hearing about that car crash on the radio, It all just fits together.' I sat on Namine's bed, and looked around her room, It was very plain, white walls, with posters neatly stuck onto the walls, Go:Audio, Jesse McCartney, Taylor Swift and a large Twilight wall scroll. The room was clean, _Amazingly_ clean, verging on freakishly clean.

The door opened slowly and Namine walked in, wearing a light blue long sleeved top, which I thought was a size too big, skinny navy jeans and a pair of white converse high tops with sky blue laces. Her hair was straightened and had a light blue streak in it, I thought she looked beautiful. She smiled at me before walking over to her mirror, where she started fidgeting with her hair.

"Namine, stop." I pleaded, "Your hair is beautiful."

"Hmm..." She ignored me, continuing to 'fix' her hair. After what seemed like an eternity she turned to me a smile on her face, and clapped her hands once. "Now, you!"

"Ouch, Nam!" I squirmed, the straighteners were really hot, plus she was nearly pulling my hair out by the roots!

"What did you make of the maths test today?" Namine asked me.

"Absolutely murder!" I replied, I had done so badly, the plan was that we were all going to study last night, but needless to say, that never came into fruition.

"Think you passed?" She asked me. I quite clearly did not, if I managed to get over twenty five percent, I'll be a very happy bunny.

"No way, I really flunked it. What about you?"

"Eh, I probably failed it, maybe a low pass, hopefully."

"Yeah." I really couldn't care less about the test right now, to be honest.

"Now," Namine stood in front of me, her head turned slightly. "Let's get you some clothes." She walked to her closet. I thought that I best be honest with Namine.

"Namine?" I asked. She turned to me, "What's the point?"

"Hm, I don't get what you mean."

"I mean," I stopped to breathe. "I mean, what is the point of us getting all dressed up, If Sora, Roxas and Riku aren't going to be there?"

"Let's just try to go enjoy ourselves." Namine tried to reassure me, she failed. "How do you like this top?"

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, My hair was now completely straightened. I was wearing a pink t-shirt, with a black bat on the front, like the batman symbol, with a heart cut out in the middle., tight denim jeans and Sora's black and white Vans sneakers, which he had left at my house.

"Ready?" Namine asked me, I turned and nodded. As we walked out the room, I grabbed my black zipped hoody and quickly shoved my arm in it.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Baby you're all that I want  
When you're lyin' here in my arms  
I'm findin' it hard to believe  
We're in heaven_

God, that music is _loud_. We stepped into Selphie's house, which was full of people, some I knew, some I didn't. I immediately heard Selphie screaming over the music, and noticed that she was running over towards us. I braced myself for impact.

"Kairi! Namine!" She screamed, enveloping us into a hug, "It's about time!"

"Sorry," I apologized, "we got held up."

"That's okay," She replied, "You're here now." She pointed towards the kitchen, "Drinks are in there, help yourselves." She turned and walked towards someone else.

"Kairi?" Namine asked, "Do you think she looked kinda... slutty?" Namine did have a point, Selphie was wearing a bright yellow tube top, a very visible white bra, a _really_ short black skirt and black knee high boots.

"It's just the style now I suppose." I tried to paint Selph' in a positive light.

"Let's go get a drink." She smiled. As I followed her, I looked around to see if I noticed anyone. I immediately saw Tidus attempting, but not exactly succeeding in forward flipping over Selphie's couch, which he and Wakka had seemingly moved to the middle of the floor.

_And love is all that I need  
And I found it there in your heart  
It isn't too hard to see  
We're in heaven_

Within about twenty minutes of arriving, my head was spinning because of the noise and lights. After an hour I swear my brain was fried, but I suppose it kept my mind off Roxas, Sora and Riku... Well it had.

"Hey Kai'!" I was pushed out of my little cloud of thoughts by Selphie, who was holding a bottle of Bacardi Breezer in front of me. I took it off her, thanking her as she sat down next to me. "So, Kairi, are you going to the soccer game on Monday?" I thought to myself for a moment, before responding.

"Nah, I don't think so, Not really a sporty person y'know. Plus, The team will be down two of their best players."

"What do you mean?" She looked puzzled. I laughed slightly, only for a moment.

"Sora and Roxas are gone, and lets be honest, the team aren't that great without them."

"True," She replied, grabing my hand, "but they might be back." My thought began to fade away again.

"I suppose." I told her, my mind obviously elsewhere. "I'll be right back Selph, I have to go to the washroom." She released my hand.

"Okay, but don't be too long." I nodded, before ascending the stairs.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

When I was coming back down the stairs, I noticed the music was no longer playing which was quite weird, and that I could hear everyone talking really loud beneath me. When I entered the living room, I was immediately confronted by a large group of people circling round the middle of the room, their voices mingling to create an incomprehensible sound. It was quite odd. I couldn't see anyone of my friends around the outside of the group, so I tried to see what all the commotion was about, but I couldn't see what everyone was so occupied by, and instead of trying to fight my way through the crowd, I decided to walk towards the kitchen to get another drink. I subconsciously hurried up in my efforts to find a bottle of WKD from Selphie's fridge before returning to see the crowd still huddled around whatever it was they were so fascinated in. So, in attempt to get some peace from the racket they were making, I slid Selphie's back door open before walking out onto the patio. The sun was just about to rise, I could tell because red rays of light shone bright over the sky as I sat down on a seat in Selphie's garden. It was my favorite seat, one of those cool two seater swings. I loved it so much.

As I swung lightly back and forth I looked up at the stars still twinkling in the ever reddening sky, and I sat and thought to myself. I thought about school, I honestly didn't mind school, but I'd rather do something else. I really tried to think of happy things but eventually my thoughts returned to Riku, Roxas and Sora, where were they? I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue flow through me and decided to try to get some shut eye. I curled myself up on the swing, trying to be comfortable.

As my eyes began to shut as I slowly began to drift into sleep, I barely noticed the backdoor sliding shut. Instead I continued to drift off, fading into sleep. I was startled when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Kairi."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Preview Time!

**Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks**

"Where is he?"

"I dunno, he was acting a bit strange last night."

"You don't think, that's because of _us_, do you?"

**Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks**

"Sora?" He chapped the door once more, "Are you in there?" There was no response. Quietly, He turned the door knob and slid the door open. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Sora!"

**Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks**

"We're here today at Destiny High for this important league game versus Twilight Town F.C., and Destiny playmaker Roxas Middleweek will once more have to raise his game in the absence of his wingman, who hasn't played for the home side since November, and while the home side have only managed three wins in the twelve games following his abrupt departure, The 'Cradle' has definitely not been a happy hunting ground for the visitors over the years."

**Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks**

"That's it Kairi, I'm sick of all the lies, all the secrets,I'm sick of what you've become!" His stern eyes looked at her, she weakly returned his stare.

"I... I..."

"Look at you! You're life is falling apart because of him!"

"And what happened to him was because of you!" She roared back fiercely.

"We both know he was the architect of his own downfall!"

"You were supposed to be his best friend! You were supposed to look out for him!"

"Well, what were you supposed to be then?"

"I... I..."

"Say it!"

"I dunno..."

"Don't play dumb with me, that's it Kairi, We're through!"

"I..."

"You what!"

"I love him!"

**Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks** **Teenage Kicks**

* * *

Four small sections of some key incidents, which I hopefully get too :P

I have all the key points worked out, it's just, everything in between...

The T shirt Kairi is wearing is a real one from clandestineindustriesdotcom by the way :)

Oh, and there shall be Zexion! [/random]

And what actually happened in the car crash will be revealed, sooner or later :P

Where's Sora? Who's the voice?

Tell me in your reviews :P

I have 7 now, great success, 3 more for a faster chapter, or a double upload at one point... hmm...

I'll answer them next time...

School Tomorrow :(

16/08/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	7. Coming Out

Some of this chapter really happened, not to me though ;) In fact, quite a wee chunk of the whole story did.

Incidentally, I actually have the majority of the story figured out now :)

The focus will really be on (For the first section anyway) Sora, Roxas, Riku, Kairi and (to a somewhat lesser extent) Namine, although characters like Tidus and will have some pretty major input over all.

And chapters will mostly focus on one certain character, Like _Skins_, in which each character gets an episode mainly focused on them, while still developing other stories, before the final episode in the series is focused on everyone.

This chapter is focused on-, never mind actually, that would spoil It already... :P

And on another random point, I saw the band that sings the song 'Teenage Kicks' live on Tuesday before the Glasgow Celtic Vs Arsenal **Football** game :) Not Soccer, Football. Football, as in you use your foot, to kick a ball, with your foot. I mean, throwing a ball, that's hardly football, it's Rugby with Armour because people are scared to get hurt (Not knocking Gridiron, just pointing out facts).

Ah, and If there is a sequel, which I hope there will be, I already have loads of ideas for that, It already has a name, which, like this one, is the same as a song, but again, like this one, It will relate to the overall themes of the story. Clue: The singer is a _bit_ overweight, and is a girl ;) And it was used as a Television theme song, well for the ending credits, and is awesome!

Major revelation here, please don't kill me, It was either him or Roxas, and we all know how it would end up with Roxas.

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song at the end of this chapter is _Your love means everything part two _by _Coldplay._

* * *

She sat on the swing, floating gently back and forth, drifting off into a peaceful slumber. The noise from the house was muted outside, and all that could be heard was a few birds chirping, signaling that the morning had arrived.

He slid the patio door open before stepping out onto the cold concrete beneath his feet. He realized that he was only wearing one shoe, and guessed that he must have lost the other one at some point tonight. It didn't really matter though, it was just a shoe. He trekked silently across the damp grass, the red sunlight was lighting his hair into a red-brown hue as the damp grass squelched quietly beneath his footsteps. He surveyed the area momentarily, before his eyes met the person he had came out to see. He crept towards her, not wanting to alarm the girl. As he stood mere meters from her, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Kairi."

He noticed the girl jump after he mentioned her name. She turned slightly, her eyes scanning over him. His hair was spiked from front to back, noticeably red in color, although she noted this was probably from the sunlight. He wore a silver chain around his neck, although she was unable to see the charm at the bottom, as it was tucked under the white pinstriped shirt that adorned his abdomen. He wore tight jeans, which were a faded shade of light blue. She giggled slightly as she noticed he was only wearing one of his 'New Balance' trainers that he rabbited on about so frequently.

They looked into each others eyes, before she spoke.

"Tidus, hey!" She smiled, waving slightly towards him before beckoning him to sit next to her, which he obliged to. She laughed once more as he hopped over next to her.

"So, why are you out here Kairi?" He asked her curiously. She sighed slightly.

"I guess I just wanted a bit of peace from everything, you know?" He nodded in response to her soft words.

"Oh, yeah, I know exactly what you mean." He smiled, before his faced turned more serious. "Kairi, you know how Selphie, well, how she-"

"Basically tries to molest you?" Kairi stifled a laugh, noting Tidus bleak facial expression.

"Yeah, well, she's just carrying on, right?"

"Tidus, she really likes you, like a lot, even if she does act like a slut at times." He laughed at this.

"It's just that, you know when your unsure if peo-"

"If people really like you or if they are just being overly friendly?"

"Yeah, can you read my mind?" He asked her.

"Maybe," She smiled, before continuing, "Do you like Selphie, Tidus?"

"Well," He scratched the back of his head. "That's what I came out here to talk to you about, actually." He grasped her hand softly, surprising her.

"Wha-What is it Tidus?"

"Can you keep a secret?" She looked at him curiously, before nodding wearily. "Well, the reason I don't really try to get anywhere with Selphie is," He stopped.

"What's wrong Tidus?" She asked.

"Nothings _wrong_, it's just I don't really flirt or anything with Selphie is because, well-"

"You like someone else?"

"Well," He laughed nervously, "you could say that." Kairi was pretty sure that Tidus had a crush on her now, well, it seemed like that to her.

"Well, what is it then?" She inquired. He breathed in slightly.

"Kairi, I'm gay."

She was taken aback by Tidus' confession. Not once had she ever thought that he was gay. So many thought ran through her mind at this point, _When had he realized he was gay? Did anyone else know?_ Tidus used to pretend he was gay, so did all the other guys. Guys do that, right? They were metrosexual? Maybe Tidus wasn't exactly pretending. She was kicked out of her thoughts when she realized how awkward the silence between them had become. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find any words, so instead she wrapped her arm around his shoulders enveloping him in a hug. They stayed like this, the newborn sunlight beginning to shine it's rays upon them. She finally broke the silence between them.

"Does Wakka know?"

"Nobody does, you're the first person I've told." He revealed to her.

"Why me?" She questioned him.

"I've known you all my life, well, all of it I can remember. You've always been there for me Kairi, You've never let me down. I guess-I guess I just trust you the most, out of everyone." He smiled at her.

"Tidus!" She beamed, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. They both blushed slightly, before Kairi recomposed herself.

"So..." Tidus exhaled.

"Yup." Kairi stated quietly, although she was immediately unsure why. "So, who's the guy you like?" Tidus smiled at her immediately, seeing that she was so comfortable after finding out he was gay.

"Hmm... I dunno Kairi, You've only known I'm gay for five minutes!"

"What can I say, I'm a quick worker."

"That remains to be seen." He retorted.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"Well, you and Sora, going real well, eh?"

"Wha-what do you mean? Sora's my best frie-"

"Give it a break, Kairi! Everyone knows you like Sora, C'mon, just admit it, I told you my biggest secret."

"Well it's hardly a massive secret, You were hardly admitting to 9/11, or holding some sort of information for the government, are you? Then again, those would be the same thi-"

"Kairi, don't be a bitch, please."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so agitated with Sora, Roxas and Riku missing, you know?" Tidus grinned at her. "What?"

"Come with me!" He grabbed her hand before dragging her behind him towards Selphie's house.

The party was still going on, although most people were now sitting watching the music channels on the television. Tidus walked into the living room, Kairi in tow, and received a few odd looks, which he put down to the fact that he was holding Kairi's hand. He gently slid his hand up towards her wrist, before wrapping his fingers around her arm. Kairi noticed him mouthing something to Selphie, who pointed upstairs. His grin ever widening, Tidus forcefully pulled Kairi up the stairs with him, before lightly pushing a door open. He quickly drew himself back, slowly closing the door, before looking at Kairi with a somewhat disgusted look on his face, as a result of what he had witnessed going on within said room. She laughed as he dragged her onwards, opening each door before reaching the last one.

"Selphie's Mom and Dad's room, why are we here." Kairi asked, confused. Tidus turned and smiled at her, before opening the door, his eyes still fixed on Kairi, awaiting her reaction.

She looked confused, which in turn confused Tidus. He turned to see Namine, sitting on the bed, hugging someone tightly. They were unaware that Kairi and Tidus were stood in the doorway.

"Erm..." Kairi started to back off from the door. Namine heard her, and lifted her head to reveal to Kairi a pale looking Sora, his head buried deep into Namine's neck. "What's up with him?" Kairi asked, shocked.

"Roxas crashed his car last night, Sora and Riku were in it with him." Hurriedly, Kairi clambered over the white duvet to reach Namine and Sora. Namine pushed Sora slightly towards Kairi, who could now see his face in clear view. She was horrified when she saw his pale face clouded by a large purple bruise emanating from the left hand side of his face, with a poorly stitched cut centimeters from his eye. His white school shirt was now splashed in maroon, with the sleeve barely attached. She pulled him into a tight hug, refusing to let go. Tears began to stream from her eyes as she held on to his motionless body. She heard Tidus and Namine creeping out of the room.

"Where are Roxas and Riku," She said quietly.

"Roxas is fine, he was here earlier, He's away home now. Riku, he had a bit of a headache, whacked his head pretty hard, he should be fine too."

"Okay." Kairi sighed, still refusing to let go of the lifeless Sora. "How long has he been out?" She asked.

"Not long, he was asking for you, but nobody knew where you were, he's been sleeping for ten minutes maybe."

"Will I just let him sleep here?"

"You might as well," Tidus smiled at her, "You look like you need some sleep, you should just go to sleep in here too, just lock the door when we go out." He winked at her, but she knew he was just carrying on.

"Okay," She lay Sora down on the bed, before walking over to her friends. "Goodnight you guys." She gave Namine a hug, and then Tidus, before slowly shutting the door and sliding the snib across to lock it. She wandered over to the bed before laying down next to Sora.

_I slipped away last night  
Took me away from sight and the place I know.  
All crushed upon my skin  
This mess I put you in and the punch I thrown._

_It was a strange reaction  
For someone like you to remain so sure  
And in a chain reaction_

_I dissolve and break and then away I crawl_

_And then away I crawl_

_And away I crawl_

_And away I crawl_

_And away I crawl_

* * *

Won't have time for a quick update, so expect a really long chapter, or a double upload or something :P

21/09/2009 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	8. Revenge in the Night

My sister broke her laptop, first time I've had internet, I wrote this in 20 minutes, won't have a second chapter up tonight, will try get two more up by next weekend :(

Just found out I have over 10 reviews, and can't double post chapters tonight, so expect one possibly tomorrow :)

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The Song in this chapter is _A Million Miles_ by _LostProphets__**.**_

* * *

_I hear you screaming but I know that you don't mean it and its  
All gone wrong now  
I get the feeling that its gone and its the reason that I  
Feel so dark now  
Too much inside, too much in life  
Define your point of view  
I know your leaving, though I think that my times fleeting but yet  
you don't see it_

It was dark. The street lights lit the road he walked a pale orange. He swiftly strode on down the pavement, his hands in his pockets, his mind seemingly entranced by the music flowing through his ears from his iPod. It was quite a distance from Selphie's house to his own, but he had to show up, to show everyone that they were all okay. He walked past the video rental store, it's shutters now pulled down due to it being closed. White paint adorned the dark green steel, the letters 'RXS' tagged clearly in large letters. _Wonder who that could have been._ To save some time, he decided to cut through the alleyway at the end of the street, instead of walking around the block. It would save him two or three minutes, which meant to him that it was worthwhile. He turned into the alley, the light provided by the street lights behind him converged inside the alley, his shadow was cast in front of him, mocking his every movement. He stepped forward, somewhat timidly, before submitting himself to the darkness. He continued to move forward through the night, the moon barely illuminating his path, enough only for his shadow to play with his mind. The darkness clouded his vision while the music clouded his hearing. He walked in peace until he suddenly felt someone grip his collar and push him against a wall. He grimaced as the air was knocked out of him, before opening his eyes to see the culprit standing before him.

Seifer.

"Are yo-are you mugging me?" Roxas questioned him, gasping for air.

"Naw," Seifer replied sarcastically, "I just grabbed you for your good looks." Roxas could now clearly see the bruise his 'handiwork' had caused. Seifer's menacing eyes pierced through Roxas, with the sole intent of intimidation.

"What do you want, Almasy?" Roxas spat, the anger brewing deep within him.

"Well, remember what happened in gym class, with the baseball? Well, I thought I'd get my own back on you for that." Roxas gulped. "have you ever heard of 'an eye for an eye'?" Seifer sneered. "Rai!" Seifer commanded. Raijin stepped forward, clutching a metal baseball bat in his hands, before giving it to Seifer and stepping back into the shadows. "Now," Seifer whispered into Roxas' ear, "I'm going to enjoy this." Seifer once more threw Roxas into the wall, this time letting go of him, knocking him into a crouching position. He held the bat behind his head, the silver metal gleamed intensely, and in one quick swipe he struck Roxas leg, causing him to fall to the ground. He raised the bat once more, and swiped downwards into Roxas abdomen.

"Argh!" Roxas screamed in pain, though he assumed his cries would not be heard by anyone. He curled his arms over his head, protectively, as he cowered from the repeated blows that the animalistic Seifer reigned down upon him. Seifer ruthlessly attacked, reigning blow after agonizing blow on the fallen blond. The pain was excruciating, He was in agony, he felt like he was slipping away.

Seifer dropped the bat, before looking over the hunched Roxas lying beneath him. He kicked him mercilessly, before pulling him up by his collar and forcing him against the wall once more. He grabbed Roxas chin forcefully.

"Listen kid" Seifer grinned, "I like you, I really do." Roxas couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But, but is the key word. But, I kinda have my eyes on that pretty little thang called Namine, you know her right?" Roxas nodded meekly. "'Atta boy, 'Roxie', now, you are going to help me get her, okay?" Roxas spoke inaudibly, trying to escape Seifer's grasp. He soon realized it would be no good, so he stopped struggling. "Now, we've known each other since the 'good ol' days' back in TT, right? So you had better not let me down on this one." Seifer began to loosen his grasp on Roxas. "Anyway, I have to go now, gotta see a man about a dog, and a woman about a pussy." He laughed at his own joke, before his face suddenly returned to his stern look and he thrust his knee sharply into Roxas' groin, letting him fall from his grasp. "Later, Rox!"

_Gone, once you shone, I move on  
though I still find time to hide  
It's all buried deep inside, so it  
Looks like you've found a way to reach my heart  
And take it all back to the start of this, though I'm  
A million miles from home_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Struggling to find the right key for the door, he fumbled for a few minutes before finally entering the house. He trawled upstairs towards his bedroom. He forcefully pushed the door open.

"Where have you been?" He heard a recognizable voice coming from the darkness within the room.

"Out." he stated abruptly.

"Where?" the voice replied.

"With friends, a party and that, yeah?" Roxas lied.

"Hm... Then why have you been gone since Wednesday?"

"Big party?"

"Don't play me for a fool Roxas, turn on the light." Roxas obliged. A man was seated upon a poorly made bed, The dark blue duvet bundled in a heap at the end, falling onto the blue carpet beneath it. He wouldn't say he was a tidy boy, but compared to some of his friends rooms, this place was immaculate. An old television sat at an awkward angle at the other end of the room, it's only other main feature. The man on the bed studied Roxas intently. His orange eyes scanning the boy from head to toe through his silver locks. He seemed quite taken aback by his condition.

"What happened to you?" He asked, his voice not concealing any hints of concern.

"I-"Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I was fighting."

"Again!" the man sighed, "Sometimes I don't even know why she kept you."

"Hey!" Roxas argued. "Don't talk to me like that!" The man seemed angry.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that son, I'll k-"

"I'm not your son you fucking bastard!" Roxas roared at the top of his voice. The man simply stood up and walked past Roxas, closing the door behind him. "Fucking cunt." Roxas walked over to his bed before lying down on it, one leg crossed over the others knee. He plugged his cell phone charger into the wall, before turning on his cell. He was lucky he was able to find his at the crash, as Riku and Sora had not. Sadly for him, however, the battery had died during the night. His phone immediately alerted him that he had missed 32 calls, and his inbox was 'overflowing', and that he could save ten percent on an Audi TT by registering online now. He sighed before placing it down on the floor and trying to get to sleep.

Within moments, however, his door swung open and once more he was confronted by the man with silver hair.

"Where's your car?"

"Erm..." Roxas hesitated.

"Where is it?"

"I kinda-I kinda pranged it."

"What?"

"Well, some guy crashed into me on Wednesday night."

"Oh for fuck sake, don't give me any of your sob story bullshit!" The man stormed out of the room, leaving Roxas to ponder his thoughts.

_Maybe your reasons, keep on changing through the seasons  
Only time could tell now  
Don't stem the bleeding, cause I m sure it has some meaning still you  
Feel so dark now  
Too much inside, too much in life  
Define your point of view  
Are you still leaving, maybe you should start believing but still  
You don't see it_

_**5, 4, 3, 2, 1**_

* * *

30/8/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	9. The Wisdom of Selphie Tilmitt

So sorry about the late updates... School, Sister etc. :/

So, Reviews will be rewarded, eventually LOL

Coldplay on Wednesday :) The Scientist uber alles!

Chapter mostly dealing with Riku :)

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

Song (Which is down purely on lyrical content) is _Lucky_ by _Jason Mraz. _(It works well with a few characters :))

* * *

"You okay?" He looked up to see Kairi sit down next to him, his face slowly turning the shade of her hair. He looked down at his shoes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He responded, continuing to study the laces of his shoes.

"Don't lie to me, Riku." She smiled at him, "You don't seem to want to talk about it, but when you do, I'll be here." She hugged him awkwardly before skipping off towards the door, leaving Riku alone once more in the lunch hall. He sat, his eyes fixated on the ground for a handful of minutes, before he stood up, picked his bag up from the ground and hurried out of the hall.

He moved through the crowds as he marched through the corridor, the sea of teenagers parting at his presence, his mind was elsewhere but he could hear people talking about the car crash. It was the flavor of the week at the school, so he thought he might as well get used to it. Trudging up the stairs, with his bag in tow, he approached his maths class. This is where they had been hanging about since the start of term, yet he was really unsure why. It was a maths class, for God sake!

He walked through the door to be greeted with a few 'heys' and 'alrights', and responded by merely waving his hand before slouching into a chair in the corner. He sat watching Kairi, who was sitting on a table across from him looking down at Sora, who was doing homework of some sort. He tried his hardest to hear the conversation, but his efforts were fruitless.

"Jealous?" He spun his head to see Selphie standing beside him, hands clasped behind her back.

"Hmm... No." Riku replied.

"Don't lie to me Riku, you like her a lot, I get that." He grunted at her as she crouched beside him, and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Just between you and me, It's darned obvious that Sora isn't going to ask her out. Whether that stems from fear or something else, I dunno. But he ain't gonna do it." He nodded slightly. "And Kairi, she has a sort of unwritten rule, she won't ask a guy out, I dunno why, but regardless of who it is, she refuses to ask them out. You see what I'm getting at?"

"Yeah, but do you think it's right?" She looked at him puzzled.

"What do you mean, Riku?" The brunette asked him.

"Well, do you think it's right for me to jump in between them and break Sora's heart, and possibly Kairi's?"

"But he'd do the same."

"You said he wouldn't ask her out." Riku reminded her.

"Good point, actually, but, Riku, Hun. Remember this. All is fair in love and war." She winked at him before standing up and walking away. Riku sat, deep in thought, and soon he was drifting off to sleep.

"Riku! For fucks sake, wake up!" Riku's eyes shot open to see Sora's large blue orbs in front of him, bearing a hole into his brain. "Whey!" Sora mocked cheering before clapping lightly in front of Riku.

"Hey bud, Sup?" Riku yawned.

"Still no sign of Roxas, and are you coming to football after school?"

"Soccer." Riku corrected him.

"Football!" Sora cried.

"Okay, okay." Riku admitted defeat. "You should really go to the hospital mate." Riku was referring to Sora's face, which was a mess of black and blue bruises, with deep cuts around his eye.

"No man, I'm fine, honest" Sora replied.

"How's the headache?"

"Spinning, plus I keep feeling really sick"

"Go to the hospital then dipshit!" Riku ruffled his hair, "I'll be watching the game." Riku smiled.

"Good stuff." Sora returned a cheesy grin before turning around and walking towards Namine.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Ready?" Sora turned to see Tidus, kitted out in a light blue soccer strip. He pulled his socks up to his knees.

"I was born ready, honey." Sora stood up and paced from one side of the room to another, re-familiarizing himself with the six metal studs screwed under his boots. "I've missed this, man." He beamed at Tidus, his smile breaking through the seemingly fragile bruising on his face.

"Me too." Tidus agreed, before his expression turned more serious. "Still no Roxas?"

"Nope," Sora sighed, "Maybe he's off because of the trauma, you know?"

"Aye, maybe." Tidus replied. The two then trailed off into a conversation about the game they were about to compete in, against the new boys of the League, Transverse Town Reds, and how they really didn't know how good the team were. They stopped their exchange as they heard voices from outside the locker room.

"Are you sure? You could always miss out, we have cover."

"Yeah, coach, I wanna play." Sora instantly recognized the voice. Roxas was here.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

The wind blew fiercely against them as they stood in the line for the food stall. Kairi's hair stuck to her face as the water was carried from the sea just beyond the pitch. The atmosphere around the school had been one of excitement as, for the first time ever, there was a genuine chance of the team winning a trophy. There was always expectation, but as the staff had been preaching for the best part of the week, the current team was the best the school had ever had. The gridiron-football team wasn't too bad, but they didn't have a great chance of getting their hands on silverware.

"Here's the team sheet." Riku pointed to the wall, which he and Kairi proceeded to study.

**Goalkeeper: Wakka Kharral **

**Left Back: Zone Kramer**

**Center Back: Raijin**

**Center Back: Seifer Almasy**

**Right Back: Zell Dincht**

**Left Winger: Tidus Martingale**

**Center Midfield: Irvine Kinneas**

**Center Midfield: Watts Zabac**

**Right Winger: Roxas Middleweek**

**Left Striker: Cid Heartilly**

**Right Striker: Sora Carmichael**

"Roxas is playing, apparently." Riku told Kairi, who tapped his shoulder and pointed to his left, signaling that he had to move up in the queue. They heard a loud cheer from the bleachers directly ahead of them, alerting them to the beginning of the game.

"We'll be in this line for another few minutes, do you have your radio so we can know whats happening?" Riku smiled, before pulling a pair of earphones out of his pocket and handing one to Kairi, who placed it in her ear.

_An early touch from Carmichael, Who's played a lovely ball to Kinneas. He passed his man with ease, before releasing the ball to the approaching Middleweek. He's lost the ball in his own half here, this could be dangerous, with the new boys on the counter. Lovely through ball. Goal! One - Nil to the visitors! Are we in for a massive shock on day one of the campaign?_

They heard a large groan from the crowd beyond them, before they began trying to lift their team, roaring them on.

_What was Roxas thinking? A total lapse in concentration and it's the Reds who have taken the lead here at Destiny High, in the 42nd second! The sky blues have a mountain to climb now._

Riku gently pulled the earphone away from Kairi. "Let's not listen to anymore of that, eh?"

"Good idea" she giggled.

"How are things looking?" Riku asked Squall as he shimmied along the bleachers, Kairi in tow.

"Better now, but your pal Roxas has been abysmal, he looks a state. Absolutely traumatized" He sighed. They sat down and watched the game. Kairi pulled her iPod from her pocket and began to sieve through her tracks, before clicking play.

_Do you hear me,  
I'm talking to you  
Across the water across the deep blue ocean  
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying  
Boy I hear you in my dreams  
I feel your whisper across the sea  
I keep you with me in my heart  
You make it easier when life gets hard_

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh_

"Oh come on Roxas!" She heard muffled cries from around her.

_They don't know how long it takes  
Waiting for a love like this  
Every time we say goodbye  
I wish we had one more kiss  
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will_

"Kairi, It's two to nil now."

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
Lucky we're in love every way  
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed  
Lucky to be coming home someday_

_And so I'm sailing through the sea  
To an island where we'll meet  
You'll hear the music fill the air  
I'll put a flower in your hair  
Though the breezes through trees  
Move so pretty you're all I see  
As the world keeps spinning round  
You hold me right here right now_

"Kairi?"

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend  
Lucky to have been where I have been  
Lucky to be coming home again  
I'm lucky we're in love every way  
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed  
Lucky to be coming home someday_

_Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh  
Ooooh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh_

"Kairi, Roxas just gave away a penalty, it's two nil to them." She sighed, looking at Sora comforting a dejected looking Roxas as the whistle blew for half time.

* * *

14/09/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	10. Ecstasy

Hey dudes, chapter ten!

I'm going to dive straight into the romanticizing in the next few chapters, I've finally found a way to pace it the way which would suit!

Went to see Coldplay! So good. Would have went crazy if they hadn't played The Scientist, but, they did as part of the encore!

Short chapter, but this _will_ be made up to you guys, in the next two ;) Content wise especially.

=)

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song is _Song 2_ By _Blur._

* * *

_I got my head checked  
By a jumbo jet  
It wasn't easy but nothing is  
No. _

_And that's a thundering run up the line by Martingale, he's centered it to Carmichael, who let's fly. Off the Bar!_

"Come on, Jesus Christ!" Namine screamed down the phone at Kairi as the redhead sat and continued to watch the soccer game with Riku. Namine hadn't been able to come, as she had to help her mom paint the kitchen, so she was listening on the radio while talking to Kairi on the phone.

"Jeez, Nam. They're all over them, It's going to happen." Kairi reassured her.

"I don't know, we're losing, with what? Two minutes to go, come on Kairi." Namine retorted

"You just want Roxas to be allowed to go on the Russia trip, don't you?"

"Shut up!" Namine squealed down the phone.

_Destiny, much stronger since Middleweek was unceremoniously sent off, are attacking in waves here, A long ball from Almasy finds Carmichael, good touch, Goal! Two-Two!_

"Yay," Namine laughed down the phone, "How long has been added?"

"Hang on," Kairi focused on the edge of the pitch, waiting for the board to be held up to be shown added time. A roar went up when the crowd saw that it said four minutes had been added.

"Four minutes!" Kairi exclaimed. "They could still win!"

"How many points do they need to be allowed on the Russia trip?" Namine asked.

"Fifteen from Twenty One. A win is worth three, so if they score here, then they are in a good position."

"Do you guys wanna come to my house on Friday? Not a party, just friends hanging out." Namine asked, drastically changing the topic. After a few seconds of chatting with Riku, Kairi Answered.

"We'd love to." She grinned.

_When I feel heavy metal  
And I'm pins and I'm needles  
Well I lie and I'm easy  
All of the time I am never sure  
Why I need you  
Pleased to meet you_

_And the reds launch a counter attack here, with Destiny placing nine in attack, there is only one defender back to help the goalkeeper. Carmichael's running back, great sliding tackle, won the ball cleanly! No, the referee has given a penalty kick! A second penalty kick for the Reds, and to be honest, that was not a penalty!_

"Oh no," Namine shrieked. "Come on Wakka!"

_The number nine steps up, the wind is swirling around the pitch now, with the players drenched in seawater. It's one on one now, here's the run up._

An eerie silence stalked the corners of the stadium as the Transverse Town stepped up and lashed the ball towards the goal, trying to slot it past Wakka from twelve yards.

_Save! What a save by the Goalkeeper, he's turned it onto the post!_

Riku watched intently as Sora took control of the ball and sprinted up the park on his own, evading the oncoming Transverse stars. He was now one on one with the Goalkeeper, and Riku, who was genuinely nervous, placed his head in his hands, now refusing to watch.

_I got my head done  
When I was young  
It's not my problem  
Just not my problem_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Wet. If there was one word he would use to describe himself, it would be wet. He continued to run through the drenched grass, the mud lapping upon his knees, staining his socks and shorts. He was in a world of his own now, running at full pelt towards the Reds goal, he felt like nobody could touch him, he felt like he was invincible. Baring down on the Goalkeeper, he was only about 20 yards away from the Goalkeeper who was running towards him, attempting to close the angle in which Sora could aim the ball. He looked to the keeper's right, hinting that this was his target. His opponent fell for it as he slid downwards, arms raised to attempt to block Sora's shot into this corner. However, Sora ceased the opportunity that arose and, without hesitation, slotted the ball coolly through his oncoming foe's legs in the most nonchalant manner possible, before picking up pace as he ran towards the corner flag, arms raised in a victory pose. He heard the swelling noise of the fans celebrations as he slid to his knees and glided along the cold, wet grass. To him, this was ecstasy.

_Can you believe it? In the Ninety-fourth minute of the game, Sora Carmichael has placed the silkiest of finishes through the keeper's legs to hand his side an incredible three-two victory, after trailing by two goals to nil! He is the prodigy. He can lead us to victory. Will this year be our year?_

_When I feel heavy metal  
And I'm pins and I'm needles  
Well, I lie and I'm easy  
All the time and I'm never sure  
Why I need you  
Pleased to meet you_

_Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Oh, yeah_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Easy, Easy, Easy!" Wakka cried as he walked into the locker room, his arm wrapped around the shoulder of a gleeful Sora. "This little guy is gonna win everything for us!" Sora grinned bashfully, as the rest of the locker room handed out variously plaudits in his direction.

"Where's Roxas?" He asked.

"He left after he got sent off." Tidus answered him. "He's away home." Sora sighed, before sitting down and trying to unlace his boots.

"Kid." He looked up to see Seifer holding his hand out. He reached his hand out and grasped it, smiling at him. "You were great, let's build on this win."

"Yeah, who do we have next?" Sora asked him.

"Um..." Seifer thought to himself. "I think it's away in Hollow Bastion, Radiant Thistle FC I think."

"Cool, thanks man." he nodded at Sora as he grabbed his kit bag before slugging it over his shoulder and exiting the room.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Alright class, today we are going to focus on the conflicting emotions in William Shakespeare's classic, Macbeth." the class groaned as the teacher turned around from the board, holding a copy of the text. "Now, can anyone tell me two conflicting emotions in the play? Kairi?"

"Love, and... hate?" Kairi answered, doodling on her jotter.

"Correct, Miss Shaw. Anyone else? Sora?"

"Hm?" he shot his head up, dazed at being awoken from his slumber.

"Macbeth, Conflicting emotions?"

"Um... Ecstasy and, erm... Agony?" He shrugged.

"Very well done, Mr Carmichael. If you would only stay awake for more than five minutes, you would be a straight-A student." This brought scattered laughter from the class. "That's right children. Today we are going to learn about the conflicting emotions of agony and ecstasy, and how one generally leads to another - at least in fiction anyway."

Sora sighed slightly, as his fatigue overwhelmed him once more.

* * *

18/09/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	11. Don't Ever Change

**Here we go :) Reviews much appreciated, I mean, I have school in six hours!**

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song is _Two is better than one _by _Boys Like Girls & Taylor Swift_

* * *

"TGIF!" Riku cried as he walked out out the school doors, picking up pace as he cantered down a flight of stone stairs. He had been thinking all day, about how they were all going to Namine's house, and that he had decided that tonight was going to be his night. Not Sora's, Not Roxas', but his. He stuck his earphones in before scanning through the radio stations on his MP3 player. Sora and Roxas were in Hollow Bastion playing for the school football team, and he wanted to see how they had got on.

_In what turned out to be a somewhat thrilling contest, with temperatures dropping below zero. Destiny Island High have drawn three-all with Radiant Thistle here on the outskirts of Hollow Bastion. In a game dominated by the weather, as an unruly amount of snow has fallen over the city today, Sora Carmichael continued his hot streak by netting a diving header. He was joined on the scoresheet by center back Seifer Almasy and Midfielder Irvine Kinneas. A great result for the away side, who I have been asked to inform will be allowed to go to Russia as part of the History and Biology field trip, If they get eleven points from seventeen. And also that, as he is already going, Sora will be allowed to take formed soccer teammate Riku if he manages to reach the points target as the team strive to make history in this seasons 'Destiny Islands 1st Division'._

Riku laughed as he heard his name mentioned, before turning the radio off on the MP3 player, instead opting to listen to music. As he continued to walk he thought about his friendship with Sora, and about whether or not he should do as he planned. After all they had been through, fighting 'monsters' in the secret place, the time where they lost the oars for the canoe as they drifted off to sea, and the countless other memories he held of Sora. _This is no time for second thoughts, I've made up my mind, and I'm sticking to it._ He was nearing the main street of the town, and was just about to go into a shop to buy some gum, when his cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Riku asked.

"Hey, It's me." A voice replied down the phone.

"Hey, Kairi. What's up?"

"What time are you going round to Namine's" She asked.

"Whenever you are," he replied.

"I'll be there around seven."

"Cool, guess I'll see you there then?"

"Yeah, Riku, See you there. By the way, how long till they get back from Hollow Bastion?" He checked his watch.

"They should be touching down any moment, actually."

"Touching down? They flew?" Kairi seemed shocked.

"Only back," Riku laughed, "They got a bus up."

"Okaaaay." Kairi giggled, "See you later then."

"Yeah," He responded, "See you." He hurriedly shoved his cell phone into his pocket. Well, it wasn't exactly his, it was his sisters. And it was pink. He opened the door to the shop, greeted by the ring of the bell. "Hey Wedge." He waved.

"Hey, Kid." The rotund, gruff man standing behind the counter replied. He was wearing an unflattering dark blue boiler jacket, with a stained white vest underneath. His eyes were focused on the newspaper in front of him. Riku walked up to the counter and placed a packet of spearmint gum next to the newspaper. "Is that all, kid?" Wedge asked, chewing rythmically on a piece of gum

"Will you sell me booze?" Riku asked hopefully. Wedge looked at him, his facial expression remaining flat.

"When do I ever say no, kid?" He smiled at him. "What are you after?"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Hello and welcome to Destiny Island Airport." A voice monotonously stated, uninterested.

"Sup, dude?" Roxas answered coolly.

"We hope you enjoyed your fli- Roxas!I didn't know that was you, I'm too busy watching True Blood on this computer."

"Hey Axel." Roxas smiled. He studied his friend, who was dressed in a pinstriped white shirt with a light blue tie, complete with a dark blue design. His red hair resembled flames, spiked up in all directions. He looked very smart in comparison to Roxas who, along with the rest of the team, were dressed in tracksuits covered in different shades of blue, with white accents which matched their white sneakers.

"How's your li-" Axel stopped immediately as he looked up to see Roxas' bruised and battered face. "What the hell happened to you, bro?"

"I kinda pranged the Ford," Roxas laughed nervously.

"Did he do it again?" Axel asked him, his serious tone brimming with curiosity.

"It's not like that, Axel." Roxas tried to convince him.

"Oh, really? If I ever see that grey haired, creepy looking, no good step-father of your's I'll-"

"It was Almasy." Roxas blurted.

"He's a prick, Roxas. Honestly, back when we were in Twilight Town, I thought he was a prick, now you live on the Island, I still think he's a prick."

"Why are you working on the Island?" Roxas changed the subject.

"Well, I couldn't get a job in Twilight Town, so I sent out a shit load of CV's and got the job here. It's a bit of a bore though. I have to get a flight to and from TT everyday, but my mom said we're moving to the Island so there's no point in me quitting." Axel smiled.

"Nice one." Roxas grinned. "Hey, can I get your cell number? I can't find it."

"Sure, lil' buddy." He ripped a sheet of paper out of the pad in front of him, before writing down a sequence of numbers. "Here you go. I gotta let you through, but I'll talk to you soon, aye?"

"Yeah," Roxas waved to him as he passed through the metal detector. "Looking forward to it."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

The four of them walked side by side, chatting and laughing. They were dressed smart, yet casual. Roxas was wearing a black shirt, black skinny jeans and a pair of two-tone black and white vans. He was trying to put Wakka into a headlock on the middle of the road. His friend, however was having none of it, shoving Roxas over the sidewalk and onto someones front lawn, before running as fast as he could away from his ill-tempered buddy. Along side them, Tidus and Sora walked in relevant silence, talking from time to time about sports, girls and cars.

"So, how's the Kairi romanticizing going?" Tidus asked, as they walked towards Namine's house. Sora sighed.

"I think it's kinda pointless, I mean, I do like her. I'll admit that much. But she's my best friend." Sora noticed Tidus' faux offended reaction, and laughed. "_One_ of my best friends then. It's just, I don't want to tell her, in case it ruins what we have."

"But what if you could have what you guys have, and then some?" Tidus questioned.

"I dunno, would it really work? We'd see each other all the time."

"You already do," Tidus chirped in.

"Well, _More-so!_ Would we get bored with each other? We already argue, Alot! Would it just be too hard to sustain?"

"You won't know the answers unless you ask her out!" Tidus cried, before wrapping his arm around the back of his friends neck. "She likes you man, she really does. Call it my manly intuition if you will, but I am ninety nine point nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine," he stopped to catch his breath. "Nine! Percent convinced she likes you." Sora merely laughed it off.

"I'll tell you what, If you can prove to me that she likes me, then," Sora shook his head as he spoke. "Then, I'll ask her out."

"Woohoo, lets go, mush!" Tidus screamed as he grabbed Sora's arm and ran down the street, his shocked friend in tow. After a few minutes, they found themselves in front of Namine's house. It was a large white building, pristine clean, with a beautifully colorful garden. It also had a double garage to house her families cars, as well as a silver BMW parked outside, belonging to her big sister.

"Now, are you ready to start the rest of you're life?" Tidus asked Sora, dramatically.

"Fine, lets go." Sora laughed.

"Now, this is one small step for man. One giant leap for ma-"

"Hurry up, you twat!" Wakka shouted at him as he knocked on Namine's door. A girl answered. She was much taller than Namine, yet had many of Namine's physical traits. Her long blond hair lay over her shoulders as she looked at them. She was wearing a silver silk nightgown, which suggested to Sora she was just about to go to bed.

"Um..." Roxas stuttered. "Hey, Stella." He blushed bright red.

"Hey Roxie," She grinned at him, before looking at Sora. "Jeez, Namine wasn't kidding when she said you guys were in a crash, was she?" She hugged her arms tightly around her chest. "Well come on in guys, it's freezing out here." She stepped backwards, allowing them to enter the house. They walked into a large hallway, which, like the exterior of the house, was a pearlescent white. Everything was neat and tidy.

"Take off your shoes, guys." Stella instructed them, and they obliged without question. "Nam's in her room, so just head on up. If you need anything, I'll be right here." She walked through the door away from them. Tidus clambered up the stairs, followed by Wakka, Sora and finally Roxas.

"I don't really know what we need." Roxas said to Sora, "But I know what she needs, and it's right here." He pointed to his crotch as Sora grimaced.

"I heard that!" A voice came from downstairs which caused Sora to burst out laughing. Tidus chapped Namine's bedroom door, and proceeded to open the door when they were told to go in.

"Hey!" Namine squealed as she ran over to them, hugging them all in succession, before returning to her perch next to her computer. Sora scanned the pale white walls, looking at the posters which were all neatly spread out. From Bands like Paramore to movies like Titanic. He was sure there were at least double the amount of posters than the last time he visited.

"Are you just going to ignore me then?" Sora snapped back into consciousness as he was alerted to Kairi sitting on Namine's bed, clicking her fingers in an attempt to get his attention.

"No, no. I was just a bit out of it, you know?" Sora reassured her. She smiled at him before patting a white beanbag on the floor next to him, indicating that he was to sit next to her. He walked over before slouching down into the seat.

"You look tired." She laughed, he yawned before turning to face her.

"That's because I am," He smiled, "Had no sleep at all, to be honest."

"Aw pet." Kairi leaned over to try and hug Sora, however she fell off the bed and landed right on him.

"Ouch." Sora said, sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be," He smiled before enveloping her in a hug.

"Get a room, you guys!" Selphie's voice boomed across the room, causing Sora to release a nervy-looking Kairi from his grasp. "When will Riku be here?" She asked.

"No idea." Kairi replied. "Should be soon, I told him seven, It's half past just now."

"Okay." Selphie turned around went back to doing whatever she was doing next to Namine. The minutes ticked by as they sat together, idly chit-chatting, waiting for their silver haired friend to arrive.

"Put on some music, Nam'." Sora suggested, nearly falling asleep.

"Sorry, my speakers are busted. But there's an acoustic guitar in my closet if you want to muck about with that." Namine responded, and Sora quickly obliged, pulling a pristine acoustic guitar from the white wardrobe next to Namine's bed.

"Play me a song!" Kairi asked him, excitedly.

"Nah, I'm not very good." Sora blushed.

"Yeah you are! You're amazing at guitar." Wakka objected.

"And you can sing great as well." Roxas added.

"Shut up guys!" Sora laughed before he began to play little riffs on the guitar.

"Hey, wanna go outside?" Kairi asked. Roxas shook his head.

"I'm comfy in here, thanks." He politely declined.

"What about the rest of you?" They all muttered their excuses as to why they would not join Kairi outside.

"I'll go outside with you." Sora suggested. He placed the guitar next to Namine's bed before he felt Kairi grab on to his wrist.

"Bring the guitar," she smiled. Sora looked at Tidus, who winked at him. He leaned over to pick up the guitar before following Kairi downstairs.

"Think he's gonna ask her out on a date?" Selphie asked Tidus. Tidus sighed.

"I dunno, he seems to think that them being friends is as good as it's gonna get.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Stars flickered in the ultramarine sky above them as Sora and Kairi stepped into Namine's garden. It was full of large, ornate statues and was surrounded by a multitude of different flowers. They walked into the center of the garden, where a small fountain gushed against the cool night air.

"Got a lighter?" Kairi asked Sora. He rummaged in his pockets, before producing a small yellow lighter, which Kairi used to light four small candles around the water feature. "Now we'll be able to see." Sora laughed, although in his mind he could see fine before. The gentle flickers of light from the candles wrapped around Kairi as she surveyed the garden. Sora sat on the wall, in awe of the girl stood before him. He felt that she was perfection personified. He smiled as he gazed upon her unfaltering beauty against the light of the candles and of the moon. Her pink dress swayed back and forth against a cool breeze, the zips shone against the light. She walked over to him, before sitting to his right hand side. They sat like this for minutes, neither one plucking up the courage to talk. Sora's heart dashed as he tried to breath slowly in and out. He turned his head ever so slightly towards her.

"You should play something." She whispered to him. Sora gulped and nodded, before sitting the guitar upon his knee.

"Wha-what do you want me to play?" He asked her, still refusing to look directly at her.

"I don't mind, really, just play whatever you feel like playing." She replied. Sora could tell she was looking at him, but didn't dare to return it. He didn't understand, why was he so uptight? It's Kairi. Okay, he had a massive crush on her, but he was always fine around her, but at that moment in time, something felt so, different. He coughed quietly before he began to strum on the guitar.

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life  
And I thought hey  
You know this could be something  
'Cause everything you do and words you say  
You know that it all takes my breath away  
And now I'm left with nothing_

_'Cause maybe it's true, that I can't live without you  
Well maybe two is better than one  
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two, is better than one_

He sighed slightly, although he continued to play. His eyes were shut tight, so he was none the wiser to whatever Kairi's reaction was. he opened his mouth and began to sing once more.

_I remember every look upon your face,  
The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste  
You make it hard for breathing  
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away  
I think of you and everything's okay  
And finally now, we're leaving_

_And maybe it's true, that I can't live without you  
Well maybe two is better than one  
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two, is better than one_

_Yeah, yeah_

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life  
And I thought hey_

_Maybe it's true, that I can't live without you  
Maybe two is better than one  
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking_

He began to play the song softer, he wasn't sure why, but he just felt compelled to. As he began to sign once more, he heard Kairi softly singing alongside him.

_Oooh I can't live without you  
'Cause baby two is better than one  
There's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life  
And I've figured out with all that's said and done  
Two, is better than one_

_Two is better than one_

Silence. His eyes remained closed, yet his heart still raced. He exhaled softly, trying to contain his nerves in an obviously futile attempt to persuade Kairi he was calm. He never expected what would happen next however.

He felt a hand brush slowly against his cheek and he opened his eyes to see Kairi mere inches away from him. He looked up into her sea blue eyes, his face slowly quivering, through both nerves and the temperature. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Kairi's finger, which she placed delicately on his lips.

"Sora," She breathed softly. "Don't ever change." He decided to take action himself, as he pushed slowly, causing Kairi to lower her finger, before raising his head until his lips met Kairi's. He shut his eyes once more and placed one hand on her back to support her as he leaned forward, and the other slowly intertwined with her fingers. He felt a wave of emotion wrap around him as he slowly kissed the girl whom he was head over heels in love with. To his chagrin, however, they eventually had to part. Sora looked into Kairi's eyes, tears began to run down her cheeks. Sora, confused as to what he should do, once more attempted to speak, but was stopped by Kairi as she turned away from him. Slowly, he began to back off from her, placing the guitar down against a wall before walking back into the house in shock.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"And then she just started crying?" Namine asked, intrigued as Sora told her the whole story. They were sitting on Namine's bed talking quietly. Riku was yet to arrive, so Roxas, Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were sitting playing Call of Duty on Namine's Playstation. Namine looked concerned. "I think you should go out and check on her. Sora nodded as he rose to his feet and began to walk down the stairs towards the back door. He saw a shining bright yellow from beyond the door so he quickly opened it. He was confronted by a small fire. He walked slowly towards the center of the garden. What the hell was Kairi doing? He tried to come up with the answer but was left clutching at straws as he approached the fire. He crept slowly towards it, searching for the redhead. His search seemed fruitless at first, but soon his eyes came to rest upon her. She was sitting on a bench, her face hidden from him. He looked closer to see that she was with someone. The light from the fire flickered upon their hair. The silver and red clashed brightly against the night. Riku had both his arms around her, seemingly consoling her. He looked up to see the brunette standing in awe from behind the fire.

"Oh hey Sora, come to join us?" He asked, Sora never replied. "We've made a fire, feel free to pull up a chair." Sora looked into the fire, the yellows, reds and oranges fiercely collided with one another, licking the darkness around them. It was then he noticed what was buried deep within the fire, A wooden acoustic guitar.

* * *

21/09/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	12. Pentagon

**Thanks for the reviews :) Just realized after uploading it, but the last chapter, the song had a double meaning, kinda. I mean, think about it from Sora's point of view. Then Kairi's. You see what I mean? No? Oh well... :D**

Sorry, this was finished 14 days ago! I haven't had the chance to post... :(

Anymahoo, here's chapter **twelve** of **Teenage Kicks!**

***As of the 22nd of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song in this chapter is _The Kids are all fucked up_ by _Cobra Starship._

* * *

_How could you know?  
Why would you care?  
I'm losing control  
Are you getting scared?_

_I'm making new friends  
And we're making out  
We're gonna pretend  
That we're taking everything yeah_

_They don't know about us  
Everyone's asleep when we play  
__**Yeah, the kids are all fucked up**_

"Right, so a Dr. Pepper for Roxas, Mountain Dew for Tidus and Wakka, Diet Coke for Selph', and water for me?" Namine stood beside the door, awaiting a reply.

"Yeah, that's right." Tidus smiled as Namine nodded before walking out the room. She quickly ran downstairs and opened the fridge, pulling out cans of pop, as well as a small bottle of water. She swiftly threw them into a plastic carrier bag before ascending the stairs. She decided that she would say goodnight to her sister first before she returned to her bedroom. She knocked on the bedroom door, a soft voice granting her entry moments later. She opened the door to see Stella sitting on her bed, facing the door, hugging against Sora who was facing in the opposite direction, similarly to her actions a week earlier.

"Is he crying?" Namine asked as she stood by the door.

"No, no." Stella smiled at her sister. "I was talking to him, and he kinda fell asleep." Namine walked forwards.

"Yeah, that's what Roxas was telling us there. This is the latest he's stayed up since the accident. If he isn't playing football, he's been crashing at about seven."

"That doesn't sound so good." Stella frowned.

"Yeah, he used to be up till about two every morning, even on a school day. Now he's asleep before Entourage comes on."

"Nice example."

"You know what I mean!" Namine objected. "Did he collapse on you or what?"

"No, he was talking to me about what happened outside with, you know, and I gave him a hug and he just drifted off I guess."

"So what are you going to do?"

"He might as well just sleep in here, can't wake him up, can we?"

"No, you're right. Well I'd better go back through to them, they'll be wondering where I went. And Roxas will get really jealous if he knows Sora's in here with you." Stella laughed as Namine quietly pulled the door closed before tiptoeing across the hall back to her bedroom. She opened the door, throwing the bag at Roxas before walking to her bed and lying down on it.

"Ouch." He laughed, before tossing her bottle of water at her, which she caught with ease. "Where's Sora?" Namine gulped.

"He went home, must have felt like he was ready to sleep, like you said."

"Ah, okay. Are they still out there?" Namine sauntered over to the window, which looked down on her back garden.

"Nope, they must have gone home."

"That really sucks doesn't it?" Selphie asked, rhetorically.

"Yeah, but I suppose, Riku beat him to her."

"I'm going to the bathroom." Selphie declared as she stood up, before walking out the room.

"How much does she know?" Roxas asked Namine, pointing to the door.

"I think she only knows that Riku and Kairi are dating, well, we think that they are dating." Namine laughed. "This is so fucked up. She doesn't know about Sora kissing Kairi."

"Ah, okay."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks **

"Wake up, Sora" Sora opened his eyes to see Squall hovering above him. "You need to get up for school."

"Fine." Sora whined, his arm brushing Squall away.

"How's your head?" Squall asked him.

"Pretty sore, but I'll go in anyway."

"Okay, I'll put something on for your breakfast, then I'll drive you to school. That okay?"

"Yeah, that's great. Thanks." As Squall left the room, the events of the weekend became fresh in his mind. He really didn't want to go in to school, but his absence would definitely be attributed to the fact his two best friends were now dating, and this would only add to the acidic whispers that would no doubt corrode the corridors for the next few weeks. He sighed before rising to his feet. Yawning slightly, he walked along the now clean floor towards his door, where his school uniform was hanging. He yanked his shirt from it's coat hanger before trawling towards the shower.

"Nearly ready to go?" Squall asked, standing next to the door as Sora sauntered down the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah. You just want me to hurry up so you can go pick up _Rinoa!_" Sora teased Squall as he slung his schoolbag over his shoulder before walking out the door, followed by the now beet red Squall.

"I am not!" Squall objected. "Besides, she has a boyfriend." Squall sighed.

"Seifer?" Squall nodded. "I don't see that one lasting too much longer."

"How come?" Squall inquired.

"Just a feeling." Sora winked at him, before opening the door to the car and climbing inside.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks  
**

"Riku, give me it back!" Kairi whined, as Riku held her pen out of her reach. She was doing her English homework, seated beside her new boyfriend, who had one arm around her waist and the other outstretched away from her, preventing her from finishing her homework.

"Don't see why I should." Riku looked into her eyes, smiling. She lifted her head slightly, kissing him softly on the lips. He tapped the pen off her forehead before handing it to her. She smiled before turning once more to complete her homework.

It was lunchtime and they were sitting in an abandoned maths class, which Sora had proclaimed to be their 'base of operations'. Kairi and Riku sat at a double table, facing away from their friends. Tidus and Wakka were arguing with Namine about whether or not cannabis should be legalized, while Roxas sat on a table at the back of the room, his back against the wall, completely tuned out to his surroundings. To his left, Sora sat casually, a slight scowl on his face, his arms crossed. He sighed, leaning his neck back and looking at the ceiling.

"Hey, you okay?" He recognized the voice to be that of Selphie Tilmitt.

"Yeah, I'm alright I suppose. Been better, y'know?" He responded, eyes still fixated upon the ceiling.

"She really likes you." Selphie revealed to him.

"Clearly." He retorted, a tinge of sarcasm seeped through his speech.

"I'm not kidding, I guess Riku just, well, he just beat you to it."

"But, why did he all of a sudden just go for it? He always talks thing like this over with me first. Well, girl things."

"Maybe someone prompted him to do it?" Selphie suggested.

"Like who exactly?" Sora sneered. Selphie gulped, a wave of guilt washing over her.

"Um... Maybe Wakka or someone from his grade or something. I dunno."

"Meh..." Sora sighed. "It's not like it matters now." Selphie bent down to his level, and hugged him.

"There's plenty of other fish in the sea." She smiled.

"I don't like fish." Sora laughed.

"But I thought you did! You do!"

"Yeah, to eat. Not as a romantic interest." Sora explained.

"Ah, gotcha." Selphie winked at him.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"I dunno if this is such a good idea." She looked up at his aqua eyes. His arms were locked behind her head, her red hair was a mess, her skin sharing a similar shade. He squinted at her.

"You mean this, or us?" He asked her, softly.

"This." Riku sighed slightly. "I mean all of this. It just doesn't feel right, and I don't know why?" Riku rolled his eyes, muttering incomprehensibly.

"You mean Sora?" His expression was serious.

"No! I mean, it just doesn't seem right." Kairi frowned.

"Maybe this will make it better?" Riku closed his eyes slightly, before leaning down and kissing her passionately.

Across the corridor Roxas walked slumped slightly as he walked towards his next class, PE. It was his favorite subject, but he found it boring without Sora. His friend had been allowed to leave school shortly after lunch each day since the crash, just to ease him in gently. Roxas felt that he wasn't even close to being the same person. The happy-go-lucky Sora of the past was merely a memory for him now, replaced by a tenser, more serious one. He couldn't stay awake, he couldn't eat a lot without being sick. Hell, he couldn't even write his own name. And now, with Riku and Kairi dating, he feared the worse for his friend as, in his opinion, it could be the straw that breaks the camels back.

"Roxas!" He turned to see Namine walking along the corridor towards him.

"Hey." He smiled at her. She caught up with him.

"Gym class, bummer." She moaned.

"Hey, I like gym!" Roxas argued, laughing.

"Yeah, Seifer was saying that everyone on the soccer team have a training session instead of core gym today, and the football team have one straight after class." Roxas stopped and looked at her.

"You were talking to Seifer?" He asked, bluntly. She spun on her heels to look him in the eye.

"Well, yeah." She laughed. "So what?"

"What were you talking about?"

"He was just helping me with English." She answered, before walking towards the girls changing room.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Roxas ran dizzily around the short circuit laid out in front of him. The sun burned through his jersey as sweat poured from him. He was amongst the other members of the soccer team standing on the football pitch, while everyone else in the gym class were doing laps around the track. He noticed Riku slyly waving at him as he jogged around the track at a snails pace, conversing with Kairi. Roxas returned the gesture as he stood at the end of the circuit, panting heavily. He slumped lightly onto the shortly cut grass, picking at it lightly.

"Everybody in!" Roxas heard the coach cry. He stood up before walking towards him. He looked up at the daunting figure, his blond hair was sharp, his face unshaven. He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt and three-quarter length shorts. Roxas noticed that he was pretty plump for a sports coach, but thought better than to comment. He noticed the mans menacing eyes piercing unto his own as he stood still, chewing viciously on a toothpick. "What do you say to that, Middleweek?"

"Um... Say to what?" Roxas whimpered. The coach sighed.

"You, Almasy, Kramer, Kharral and Zincht. Over on that-a side!" He pointed to one end of the field. "Against Zabac, Martingale, Heartilly, Kinneas and Carmichael!"

"But sir, Sora's at home," Roxas pointed out. The coach nodded to Roxas' left, and he turned to see Sora decked out in the teams training uniform. He smiled meekly at Roxas.

"No point staying at home, we have a game later." He informed Roxas, who smiled at him.

"Right, hurry up, you couple of poofs!" The coach roared, before blowing his whistle to start the game. Tidus immediately punted the ball to Sora, who tried to flick the ball over Seifer. His opponent however, predicted this and flung his leg out at the ball, knocking it out of the pitch, sending Sora flying towards the ground. Seifer walked over to him, offering his hand. Sora took it, before accepting his apology. He then ran towards the ball.

"Sora!" He turned to see Riku holding the ball. He tossed it towards Sora, before turning back around to Kairi and squeezing her hip, causing her to squeal as she ran away from him. Sora stood silently, watching for a few seconds. He turned back towards the pitch. Tidus motioned for Sora to pass him the ball so he could take the throw in. Sora, however, instead of passing him the ball, thumped it as hard as he could into the turf, causing it to bounce over Tidus who flailed in an attempt to catch it.

Selphie, who was now lying on the grass, alongside Namine in an apparent protest to the constant lapping of the park, noticed this. "He's really bummed, eh?"

"Yeah," Namine sighed. "It's a shame."

"Are you and Kairi still coming over tonight?" Selphie asked her. Namine shook her head.

"Kairi's going to _Riku's_" Namine replied, pettily. "And I have to study, sorry Selph."

"Don't worry about it." Selphie smiled. "I'll find a way to entertain myself."

"Great!" Namine grinned. "I'll have to ask Sora to come over and help me with Maths." Namine turned and continued to watch the game of soccer, her eyes fixated on the ball as it bounced between the ten competitors.

"Hey, Nam!" Kairi waved as she passed by. Namine smiled, somewhat sarcastically as she mirrored her friends actions.

"That was so fake." Riku whispered to Kairi as they jogged past.

"You think so?" Kairi asked him.

"Sure I do, babes." He smiled at her. She cringed slightly as she continued to run parallel to her boyfriend. "So, me, you. Cinema, tonight?"

"Yes, Riku. Why, are, we, talking, like, this?" She laughed.

"No idea." He smiled. He looked over at Sora, who was running towards where they were, dribbling the ball. Well, he was, until he was scythed down by Roxas. Riku smiled, before kissing Kairi on the cheek.

**Teenage Kicks**

_That's all from us folks, on what was certainly an off night for Carmichael and the Bluebirds. The points were shared in what was quite possibly the most thrilling nil-nil draw you will ever see. You'll next hear from me, your man, Brian Amidatty, on Friday night as the team face a tough task against the league leaders in Transverse Town._

_Now it's too late to go  
It's getting light out  
I know you don't wanna  
Sleep here alone  
Just take it easy_

_So leave us alone  
When we're riding high  
Mister police  
Ain't hurting no one_

_The city's asleep  
And the world is mine  
We hide and go seek  
And you know they'll never, never, ever find us_

_They don't know about us  
Everyone's asleep when we play  
__**Yeah the kids are all fucked up**_

"Hey, I thought you were great!" Namine walked over and turned off the radio, before returning to her seat next to Sora. They were doing maths homework together. "Hey, wanna sit and talk?"

"Um... Okay." Sora closed the maths textbook over, before following Namine as she sat on her bed.

"How are you, about Kairi and Riku?" She asked, concerned.

"It'll take some getting used to, but I think I'll be fine." He smiled.

"You should have told her when you had the chance." Namine stated.

"You think? Maybe you're right."

"I am right!" Namine laughed. "I'm kind of in the same boat you were in two weeks ago."

"How so?"

"I kinda-really, I really like this guy. But, but I don't think he likes me." Sora smiled.

"I have a feeling he does."

"Really?" Namine beamed.

"Yeah, you should totally go for it." Sora smiled.

"Okay!" Namine grinned. Sora closed his eyes, deep in though. While he was in this zoned-out state, Namine leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips, before clasping her arms behind his neck and climbing onto his waist, continuing to kiss him.

_Welcome to our little love __**pentagon.**_

* * *

13/10/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated 21/10/10  
**


	13. Catching up

**Thanks for the reviews :)**

Lots of Sora-swearing abound!

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The Song used in this chapter is _Nothing in my way _by _Keane_

* * *

_A turning tide  
Lovers at a great divide  
why d'you laugh  
When I know that you hurt inside?_

_And why d'you say  
It's just another day, nothing in my way  
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay  
So there's nothing left to say?  
And why d'you lie  
When you wanna die, when you hurt inside  
Don't know what you lie for anyway__**  
Now there's nothing left to say**_

_What the fuck is she doing?_

_Why the fuck is she doing it_?

I kept my eyes shut, returning her kiss. I kinda fell into this one, if I back out I'll severely fuck up our friendship. Well, more than this will. I think.

I tried to sum everything up in my head. Riku's dating Kairi, who I have a crush on, but I'm making out with Namine, Who is the object of my best friends affections. Oh shit. I pulled away from her sharply, my eyes wide open looking upon her. Her blond bangs ran down, barely over her eyes. She looked back at me, worry and regret seemingly crystallized on her pale blue eyes. I felt bad, really, really bad. Her mouth was trembling slightly, like she wanted to speak, yet couldn't find the words she was looking for. I retained my silence as I looked into her eyes. Her pale skin seemed to converge with the white walls of her bedroom as my eyes blurred out of focus. My head was pounding, and I felt cold.

"Sora!" I snapped back into reality to see Namine looking at me, concerned. I smiled at her.

"Sorry, just felt a bit dizzy, yeah?" I blurted out quickly. I felt like I had no control over what I was doing.

"So." She fidgeted and looked away from me. "What do you think?"

"Think about what?" I asked her, although I already knew the subject.

"Us, silly." She giggled slightly. My heart sank. What was I meant to say? I rubbed the back of my head.

"I think." I breathed in slowly. _Just say no._ "We _could _give it a shot." I saw her grin widen. "But, lets just keep it between us. For now, yeah? Just in case it doesn't work."

She nodded happily. "It'll work, trust me."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_I'm an idiot. An absolute idiot._

Walking home from Namine's I continually closed my eyes, and pinched on my arm, wishing I could wake up. I followed the streetlights, lighting the way home. Why do I have to live the farthest away from everyone? I picked up pace, hoping to be home as quickly as possible. I felt my cellphone vibrate in my jeans pocket, so I stopped myself, before reaching for it and looking at the caller ID. Roxas. I answered it.

"Hello?" I breathed, tired from the journey home.

"Hey Sora!" Roxas said over the line. "I came round for you earlier, but your Dad said you were out."

"Yeah man, I was busy. Sorry." I apologized.

"No worries, no worries." He convinced me. "So are you feeling better then? I mean, it's half nine, and you're out."

"Yeah, a bit."

"Good stuff, so, three games left, we have to get um... probably two wins and a draw, think we'll do it?"

"I hope so! Who are we playing?"

"Em..." I heard him rustling a bit of paper. "Traverse Town United, the good team from there. Um... Some posh mob from Radiant Gardens, and then the big one at home to Destiny Academy."

"Sounds good." Sora grinned. "When's Russia?"

"Next week."

"You what? I never knew that." Roxas laughed over the line.

"Well, the Monday after, so two weeks today."

"Ah. right cool!"

"Oh, and Sora, I need your help with something."

"Sure buddy, what is it?"

"Namine." _Oh Shit._

"Sup, Rox'." Sora stuttered.

"Well, Seifer likes her, and he wants to be her boyfriend. And he's gonna kill me if I make a move." _Shit, shit, shit!_

"Oh fuck!" Sora grimaced. "He's dating Rinoa too. I was joking with Squall earlier that they wouldn't last. Now I'm well, vindicated."

"Yeah dude. Don't tell Nam'." Roxas commanded.

"Sure, no prob. I have to go dude, I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Later." He hung up.

So, Riku likes Kai', who I like, Who Namine Likes, Who Roxas likes, who is being threatened by Seifer to get him to go out with Nam. He goes out with Rinoa, who my brother likes. Oh Shit!

As I continued walking home, I felt my phone vibrating again. Groaning, I looked at the screen to see I had a text.

_Hey Sora, it's Riku. You should come over, stay the night. We need to catch up. x_

I stood still, thinking about the text. All that came to my mind were the words of Admiral Ackbar, "It's a trap!" I dunno why, but I still felt compelled to go. I ran home as quickly as I could, before picking my things up for school tomorrow. I then made my way to Riku's house.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Oh hey Sora!" Riku's little sister, Ashe answered the door, before letting me in. I slowly crept up the stairs before knocking on Riku's bedroom door.

"Come in." He answered. I pushed the door to see Riku sitting on the sofa, with an angry looking Kairi sat across from him. What had he done? "Hey Sora, come sit." He patted the sofa in between himself and his girlfriend. I walked over cautiously, before sitting down between them. "How are you Sora?" He asked, somewhat smugly.

"Um... I'm okay thanks. Yourself?" I refused to look at him, my eyes instead fixated upon the clock across from us. 10.24.

"I'm good. How's school?" Why the hell is he acting like this?

"It's okay yeah."

"And your lovelife?" Next to me, Kairi sprung up from her seat, flinging her coat on.

"I'm out of here. Goodbye Sora." She hurried out of the room.

"Excuse me for just one moment." Riku stood up, apologizing, before walking calmly after her. I sat alone for a few minutes, listening to the muffles voices through the wall. I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying, although I heard a few things, _douchebag_, _asshole_ and _I'm so sorry_ were three highlights. I sighed, studying the floor below me. I heard the door open, and I looked up.

"Hey, Sora." Ashe walked into the room.

"Um... Hi." I replied. Ashe was the same age as me, fifteen. Her hair was almost like Riku's, only slightly curlier and with a blond hue. Her eyes were light blue, resembling the sea. She was wearing a white sleeveless top and a pink miniskirt, secured by a denim belt. I have to admit, although she was my best friends sister, she was very pretty and I kinda had a slight, wee, tiny, miniature, almost impulsive crush on her from time to time, whenever I thought that Kairi liked someone else. Now was one of those times.

"I don't think she likes him." She said, bluntly.

"Huh?"

"Their relationship, it seems so... fake."

"I dunno..."

"Seriously, anyway, did you hear Riku tried out for the school choir." I started laughing.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "They're doing a show in a few weeks, you should go."

"For the lulz?"

"For the lulz!" She smiled. Riku is in the school choir? That has to be a wind up.

_A tell-tale sign  
You don't know where to draw the line_

_And why d'you say  
It's just another day, nothing in my way  
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay  
So there's nothing left to say  
And why d'you lie  
When you wanna die, when you hurt inside  
Don't know what you lie for anyway  
__**Now there's nothing left to say**_

* * *

**To make up for the short chapter, a few previews =P**

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"I always thought you were gay, Tidus. But now I know, maybe it's time we do something about it." Tidus sat confused, wondering what his friend meant. "What happens in Russia, stays in Russia."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"You don't know how it feels. It's like your kicking and screaming, begging for them to listen, yet you're silent, mute. Then they suddenly slip away. There is no warning, they just go. And you're helpless. You can't do a thing. You just-You just want to die."

"I know exactly how you feel, Sora."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"If you can't see me, don't come looking. I'll be fine. Don't tell anyone what's happened." He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes. She pulled him into a sudden embrace.

"I'm so sorry."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"You're taking Kai' to my recital." Riku smiled at Sora.

"I have to do this essay, man. I'm sorry. Rox' can take her." Sora apologized.

"No, Sora. It has to be you. I'll give you some help with the essay. You just make sure you're ready for tonight."

"But, why me?" The brunette inquired.

"Trust me, _you _can't afford to miss this."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kick**

* * *

13/10/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	14. It's All Just Too Much

The book mentioned in this chapter, is a fic on this site. Go read :)

Sorry about taking forever... didn't have the internet for 25 days :O

And sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. Not using the usual laptop, this one _actually _has not spell checker, the keyboard is fecked, it takes twenty minutes to load firefox, and it has no screen! Viva la VGA... :/ But it's my birthday on Sunday, and I'm gonna buy a PC! :) **Looking back, I can't believe I still don't have one**

And each chapter, _very soon_, will all be one-character centric, a la skins. But it won't be just about them, but they'll probably be focused on the most, if you catch my drift...

***As of the 22nd** **of August 2010, I'm rewriting the whole story. Shouldn't take too long.**

The song in this chapter is _Weightless_ by _All Time Low._

* * *

"Why are we here?" Sora slammed the car door shut before making his way up the steep hill before him. The sun was beginning to rise, the rays of light it emitted were shining through the lines of trees which flanked the road on which he walked. Ahead of him was Riku, his hands in his pockets. He was walking up the same route as Sora. Riku never replied. After a few minutes of walking, they emerged onto a vast plain. Sora surveyed the area. Green grass was everywhere, a multitude of flowers grew from within. He continued to walk forward cautiously towards the now glaring orange sun, towards the silhouette of Riku.

"Look here." Riku commanded. Although his voice was soft, it still heralded some authority. Sora stepped towards him. They both stood silently looking over the cliff. Below them the seawater crashed viciously off the rocks, the orange sunlight reflected the water, giving it a blood red hue. Sora looked over at Riku, who's eyes were fixated upon the shimmering sea beneath them. "This is where the sea meets the sky." He stated blankly, cryptically.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever read-" Riku rummaged around in the red gym bag he was holding, before pulling out a book. "This?" He handed the book to Sora. Broken Silhouettes.

"No, no I haven't." Sora shook his head. "What is it about?"

"Just give it a read on the plane next week." Riku smiled.

"Um, okay." Sora nodded.

"Come on, we'll be late for school." Riku began to run back the way that they came from, leaving a bemused Sora behind.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Manage me, **I'm a mess**_  
_Turn a page, I'm a book, Half unread_  
_I wanna be laughed at, Laughed with, just because_  
_I wanna feel weightless, And that should be enough_

_Well **I'm stuck in this fucking rut**, Waiting on a second hand pick me up_  
_And I'm over, getting older_

_If I could just fing the time, Then I would never let another day go by_  
_I'm over, getting old_

_Maybe **it's not my weekend**_  
_But **it's gonna be my year**_  
_And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as **I go nowhere**_  
_And this is my reaction_  
_To everything I fear_  
_Cause **I've been going crazy **I don't want to waste another minute here._

"Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia!" Roxas started shaking Sora excitedly as they walked into the math classroom.

"That's not even a definite for you yet, don't get too excited." Sora laughed, walking towards his seat. They sat in a square at the far corner of the class. The seat that Riku normally sat in lay deserted, next to the empty seat that would soon be occupied by Kairi, while Roxas and Sora were seated behind.

"Shut up!" Roxas sat down, "We'll be there."

"Hope so." Sora nodded. Kairi walked into the classroom, looking slightly flustered. She sat down, smiling at Sora. He mirrored this, though the falseness of his actions all but shattered the illusion.

"By the way," She swung round on her chair, facing both Roxas and Sora. "Tidus wants us all to go down to the football field at lunch. He wants to tell you guys something."

"Umm, okay." Roxas pulled his notebooks from his messy rucksack, firing them onto his desk.

"Where's Riku?" Kairi asked. No response. "Sora?"

"Erm, I bludgeoned him to death in his car, drove him to Sunset Horizons and threw him off a cliff. Out of sheer jealousy. For his smexy hair. Obviously." He replied with a straight face.

"Seriously Sora, where is he?"

"Relax, he's playing hookey. Your knight in shining Armour is still with us." He smiled.

"Where the hell is the teach'?" Roxas asked.

"No idea." Sora grinned. Just then, a man walked into the room, surveying the children sat in front of him.

"Sora Carmichael?" He asked, his voice was hard and gritty. Sora stood up cautiously, before following the man out of the room.

"What do you think that's for?" Roxas asked the redhead sitting in front of him to his right.

"He's probably been acting like an asshole." Kairi answered.

"Can I ask you something?" Roxas questioned her.

"You just did."

"Can I ask another one. After this one."

"I'm all ears."

"Why?"

"Why... what?" Kairi asked, confused.

"Why all the sudden contempt for all things Sora? Why the clinging to Riku? Why are you ignoring your friends? Why do you look down on everyone now?"

Kairi sighed slightly, before giving Roxas an answer he never expected.

"Fuck off."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"In all fairness Roxas," Namine closed her locker before turning to face Roxas. "Kairi's been acting like a bit of a bitch as of late."

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Where's Sora?" She asked him.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Roxas sighed. "He got pulled out of math by some guy, haven't seen him since."

"Oh." They walked silently out the school building towards the football field. Roxas walked a few steps behind her, admiring her. Thoughts raced through his head, about how much he loved her, about how he wasn't going to make a move in fear of castration from Seifer. She probably had a boyfriend anyway, a secret boyfriend! She's probably Riku's bit on the side.

He was flung out of his thoughts by a light thump on the shoulder from Namine, who grabbed his arm and dragged him down the grassy slope towards the football field, where he spotted Tidus, Wakka and Selphie standing.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Tidus cried as they ran towards him. "Where's Sora?"

"No idea, really." Roxas answered him, blushing slightly.

"So, why are we here?" Namine asked Tidus.

"Well, I have something I need to tell you guys, and since this seems like all of you are here really, I might as well just come out with it. I, I."

"Well?" Wakka stood, his arms crossed, yet seemingly patient.

"I'm gay."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_How do you react to one of your best friends telling you he's gay?_

_Do you act like they never said?_

_Do you give them a hug, and make the wrong impression?_

_Do you kick them in the balls and call them a 'homo'?_

_Just curious, that's all.  
_  
"Rox'! Dinner! Now!" A voice bawled up the stairs.

"Coming!" Roxas continued to type, ignoring the call. Minutes passed before he was called upon once more.

"Move your ass, bro!" Sighing, he walked across his bedroom before walking down the stairs, swinging on the banister. He sauntered into the kitchen to see Demyx frantically dancing around the kitchen, tidying up.

"Where's Mom?" Roxas asked. Demyx turned to him, laughing.

"Probably lying drunk in an alleyway, why?"

"Just wondering." Roxas grabbed a plate that was lying on the counter. "Soggy TV dinner, with some sort of radioactive blue sauce, yum." Roxas stated sarcastically before sitting down upon a leather sofa.

"Hey! There is actually nothing in this house, I had to buy that. I only had five dollars, and there ain't enough gas in the tank to get to Dairy Queen."

"I'm kidding." Roxas sighed. "This place is such a hole."

"Tell me about it." Demyx sat down beside him. "Could you do me a favor, bro'?"

"Um, sure. Depends what."

"Well, could you hold onto these for me?" Demyx rummaged in his back pocket before pulling out a plastic bag filled with a variety of pills and other drugs. "I'll give you fifty dollars on Saturday, for holding them."

"Fine!" Roxas laughed, before snatching the bag from his brother. He could use fifty dollars.

"And another thing, I bumped into Axel. He told me to give you these." Demyx threw something at Roxas, who fumbled in his attempt to catch them. He finally grasped it before looking to see what it was. Car keys.

"Wow, are these for-"

"His Dodge, yeah!" Demyx grinned.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Roxas abandoned his dinner, embracing Demyx in a bearhug.

"It, was... Axel." Demyx struggled, gasping for air.

"Oh, I need to thank him, big time."

"Yeah, it's round the corner by the way. I'd imagine he left a note in it or something. Go take it for a spin!"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Hospitals. I hate hospitals. I hate the smell. I hate the sickly colors on the walls. I hate the aura of the whole place. Death. Suffering. They're just really horrible places. Add that to the fact that I really ought to have been here a few weeks ago. That makes it seem quite creepy.

"Sora." I turned to see Squall walking towards me, holding a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thanks." He sat down next to me, a deadpan expression on his face. Looking at the watch on his wrist it was half two in the morning. We had been sitting out here since I was taken out of first period. Apparently my Mom collapsed and fell down the stairs. Not good.

"You have a game today?" Squall asked. I nodded slightly, my vision focused on the plaid Converse shoes I was wearing.

"I don't think I'm gonna play though." I admitted.

"You should, she'll be fine. Your team need you, and right now you probably need your team." I nodded again, before excusing myself.

"I'm gonna go check my messages, you wanting anything?" He shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks, Bro'." I stood up, walking swiftly along the corridor, before sprinting down the seemingly endless flights of stairs until I reached the ground floor. I was guessing I had maybe two or three texts, but not any more than that. I walked out the automatic door, turning my phone on as I walked across the road, sitting on the wall barricading the road from a steep ridge. I looked out at all the twinkling orange streetlights below as my phone began to vibrate.  
_  
43 New Messages  
_  
Puzzled, I began to read though them in sequence. Most of them were asking where I had disappeared to. Roxas, Namine, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Cloud and Zell had all texted. Hell, even Seifer seemed worried. After reading more texts, I eventually came across one from Riku, who had been told I had been taken out of class. Strictly speaking, I had less than 25 texts from my friends, Selphie had sent the same one four times and AT&T had spammed my inbox. But even then, I couldn't help but notice that one person hadn't text me. Kairi.

I really don't know how I feel about her. She was my best girl friend for years. I always had a crush on her. But recently she's changed. And not just because she's going out with Riku. She's became really bitchy and cheeky with everyone. PMSing? I hope so. Whenever she's not around, I hate her. I despise everything about her. The way she moves, the way she walks, the way she talks, the way she says my name. But when I see her, that all goes out the window, and I love The way she moves, the way she walks, the way she talks, and I love the way she says my name. It's just so frustrating. And then there's Namine. She clings on to me, thinks I love her, but I don't. But that's not the reason I want to keep 'us' a secret. I don't want to shatter Roxas, and after hearing about Seifer having a thing for her, I think a quiet relationship is the best kind. It's so unfair, my head isn't right as it is, I have the Kairi dilemma, Namine, my mom in a hospital bed, the pressure of having to get results in our next to soccer games in order for the team to go to Russia, and my birthday is a few months away. It's all just too much.

And why do I get the feeling that this is just the easy part?

_Make believe that I am dressed  
That every word, By design, Turns a head  
I wanna feel reckless, I wanna live it up, just because  
I wanna feel weightless, Cause that would be enough_

_If I could just find the time, Then I would never let another day go by  
I'm over, getting old_

_Maybe __**it's not my weekend**__  
But __**it's gonna be my year**__  
And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as __**I go nowhere**__  
And this is my reaction  
To everything I fear  
Cause __**I've been going crazy**__ I don't want to waste another minute here_

_This could be all that __**I've waited for**__  
(Waited, I've waited for)  
And this could be everything  
__**I don't wanna dream anymore**_

_Maybe __**it's not my weekend**__  
But i__**t's gonnna be my year**__  
And __**I've been going crazy  
I'm stuck in here**_

* * *

19/11/09 **Updated 23/08/10 Updated again 21/10/10  
**


	15. I'm Falling for Her

I bet your all sick of me making excuses (even though they are _perfectly_ valid) for not updating?

Yeah, me too.

**"A car crash. A twist of fate. Everything is going to change. If you've liked them all your life, you should just go for it, right? While you still have the chance. It's High School, anything can happen... And it normally does! SK RK RN etc."**

The song in this chapter is _The fake sound of progress _by _Lostprophets._

"Give me the fucking ball!" Roxas screamed in frustration, his arms pointed to where he wanted the ball. He watched as Seifer ignored him, striking the ball high and wide of the goal. "For fuck sake, I'm right here!" He complained.

"Never saw ya." Seifer shrugged, returning to his position in the defense.

"Chin up." Sora smiled at him, "We can see this out, only three minutes left."

"Hope so." Roxas replied, running towards the ball to close it down.

"Roxas," Tidus grabbed his attention before threading the ball through to him. He controlled it with his left foot, before lashing at the ball with his right.

_Somebody told me that I'd always __**have to bow**_

_If that was true I would have__** fallen apart **__by now_

_The more you think, the less you__** act their way**_

_So can you hear this, __**the fake sound of progress**_

_Never reason with a __**fool**__, but is that unkind,_

_Looks like I've __**lost my mind**__ once again_

_I know it all sounds so contrived, but __**it's got to me**_

_You know I've got to be __**more than this**_

_Don't frown, don't scorn, __**cause I walk a different street to you**_

_You look so worn, I bet that life has has __**got you blown**_

_**But it will never get to me**_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Save! The First District goalkeeper has turned that past the post for a Destiny corner. Still one goal up, the Islanders are looking to grab a second and put this one beyond the second placed home side. _

"Turn that shite off!" Riku laughed, playing a game on his cell phone.

"Aren't you interested at all interested in whether or not you're coming to Russia?" Kairi asked him, keeping her eyes fixed on the road ahead of them. They were going out to the cinema on a date.

"It's all a big thing over nothing. I'm going, they're just trying to spur the side on. They won't be able to book the tickets in less than a week, for like 15 more people. Trust me." He smiled at her.

_Carmichael, bearing down on the goalkeeper. We are in the 93rd minute here. Will he score? No! He's cut it back to Martingale... Who's put that away with style. Twilight 1st District 0, Destiny FC 2. A convincing win has been sealed, and the Islanders move up to fourth position in the league. This is definitely the perfect way to set themselves up for Friday night's crunch match with league leaders Destiny Academy._

"Surely you care that your friend's team just won their game?"

"Of course I do, I'm just saying the Russia thing is a load of crap."

"If you say so. Better safe than sorry mind."

Riku sighed, "How many points to they need now?"

"Two, so it's win or bust really."

"They'll lose." Riku stated bluntly.

"God, I love your optimism."

"Just saying it like it is."

_Somebody told me that I'd always __**have to bow**_

_If that was true I would have__** fallen apart **__by now_

_The more you think, the less you__** act their way**_

_So can you hear this, __**the fake sound of progress**_

_And I feel the way you hold, __**hold me back**__ from this  
Chances that I've missed, now __**they're gone**__  
Apathy is all I sense, the feeling's __**too intense**__  
__**Sitting on the fence**__, can't decide  
Don't frown, don't scorn, cause I walk a __**different street to you**__  
You look so worn, I bet that life has __**got you blown**__  
__**But it will never get to me**_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"I was just thinking, what if. What if our lives were like, a book or something?" Roxas lay backwards on the sofa, his legs pointed upwards, his head hanging down towards the ground.

"How drunk are you?" Sora laughed. They were in Roxas's house, just lounging around.

"No really, like, say we were in a book, right. What would you do?"

"Um," Sora sat up. "I'd say that anyone who was reading was stupid, yeah. And that the book probably sucks, and they should go read fucking Twilight instead!" He laughed.

"Twilight? What the hell, are you gay or something?"

"We can't say that now, remember?" Sora reminded him, before continuing. "Anyway, I've never even seen Twilight, or read the book, it all seems so much of a fad, you know? Like, Someone kicking a bin over, and being a punk. Then someone else kicking a bin over, yeah? And would they be a punk? Hell no! They'd just be trendy. What I'm saying is, I doubt out lives would be a book, more like just some stupid online thing, yeah?"

"You say yeah a lot when you're drunk, you know that?"

"Yeah." Sora sighed.

"Anymahoo, if our lives were a book, it would be like this," Roxas proceeded to wave his hand up and down.

"Eh?"

"Like a sine curve, or some shit. It'd be full of up's and down's. Which reminds me, we haven't had one of them in a while, have we?"

"I think we'd better shush mate, we'd be breaking the fourth wall." Sora stood up, balancing himself before walking over to his friend, and slapping him full force in the head. "Let's go a walk."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"We haven't seen your friend Tidus in a while, have you two fallen out?" Wakka shook his head.

"No dad."

"Lovely boy, that Tidus. You should invite him over. Tomorrow, yes tomorrow. Go and phone him now." Wakka's father excused him from the table. Slowly he walked through the living room before trudging up the stairs to his bedroom, slumping down onto his bed. He pulled out his cell phone and rang Tidus.

"Hey." Wakka said as his call was connected.

"Hi." Tidus' voice responded down the phone.

"Um, do you want to come to my house after school tomorrow?"

"Have you told your dad yet?"

"Eh?"

"Your dad, have you told him."

"Told him what Tidus?"

"That I'm gay." Wakka sighed.

"No."

"Well no, I'm not coming."

"But he really wants you to come over."

"Tell him I'm gay then."

"I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"My dad, he's really religious, like a proper devout Muslim, ya? It's against his religio-"

"It's your religion too! What about you going out getting drunk, eh? Is that not against your religion too?"

"It's not me, it's him. I don't care if your gay or not, but I can't tell him. Please, just come over."

"Not until you tell him." The line went dead, Tidus had hung up. Wakka threw his phone against the wall angrily then grabbed his coat before storming down the stairs and out the front door.

_Somebody told me that I'd always__** have to bow**__  
If that was true I would have __**fallen apart **__by now  
The more you think, the less you __**act their way**__  
So can you hear this, __**the fake sound of progress**_

_All these words that __**I can't afford,**__  
__**Never feel**__ another day  
All these thoughts that __**I need mor**__e, make me take away  
Tell me now, can you __**hear the sound**__  
Of all these people __**falling down**__  
growing back into the ground, __**make me smile again**__..._

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Morning, sunshine." Riku waved over to a groggy Roxas who shifted slowly towards him before collapsing in the seat next to him. "Rough night?"

"Nah, just out with Sora. We called you." Roxas replied, his eyes shut.

"I was out. On a date." Riku replied, smugly.

"Kairi?" Roxas asked.

"Who else?"

"Um, nobody," Roxas laughed. "Just you used to be a bit of a 'womanizer', you know?"

"I suppose, but no, it was Kairi."

"How's that going for you anyway?"

"Well, truth be told. I think I'm falling for her." Riku looked downwards. Roxas sat upright.

"Seriously?" Riku nodded. "I though you were only going out with her to kic-"

"I am, well I was. But now, I just don't know."

"What about you 'plan', is that still going ahead?"

"Oh, yeah." Riku grinned. "It's the least I can do for him, I mean, I stole his girl basically. I need to make it up to him somehow."

"Heh, just you be careful."

"I always am." Riku assured him.

"So, you coming to our game tomorrow night? It's 'Do or Die' apparently."

"No pressure then!" Riku laughed. "Don't you worry, I'll be there. Let's go to math class but first you need to tie your tie, fix your collar, button that third button, and fix the ankles on your trousers. Jeez, you look a mess."

_Tell me now, __**Can you hear the sound?**__  
Of records __**spinning round and round**__  
But all in all it seems like __**the same old song**__  
That I keep on singing,__** It sounds like**__..._

_Yea it sounds like,__** it sounds like this**_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Thanks for coming, Mr..."

"Loire, Laguna Loire."

"Thanks for coming, Mr. Loire" He motioned for him to sit down.

"Hi, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mr. Bell, Sora's History teacher. Now I know Sora's had a hard start to the year, what with the car crash and all, and now his mother has been taken into hospital, but since Sora's missed so much time he is quite a bit behind the other pupils as far as his coursework goes." Laguna nodded.

"I see."

"Yes, and although I've been offering him extra opportunities to catch up, some of which he has taken, admittedly. He just isn't catching up with the rest of the pupils. His first essay is due this Friday, and I'm afraid he's not going to meet the deadline with a satisfactory essay."

_All these words that I can't afford, __**never fee**__l another day,  
All these thoughts that __**I want mor**__e, make me take away  
All these words that__** I can't afford,**__ I'll never feel another day  
__**It makes me take away**_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Sora, you little fucker, get down here right now!" Laguna sat in the living room of the house, waiting on his son.

"Yeah?" Sora asked, a slightly confused look on his face.

"I'm just back from meeting with your teacher, Mr. Bell, and he told me you aren't going to get your coursework done."

"I will, I promise."

"Aye, aye. Heard it all before. Well son, until you get it done. You are grounded!"

"Okay, I understand that, just let me go get my laptop, it's in Riku's house." Laguna nodded.

"Why can't you be more like Riku? He's a smart kid, he's out of his shell, but no. Here I am stuck with you, too chicken to ask a girl out on a d-" He was interrupted by the door slamming. He looked up. Sora was gone. Shrugging, Laguna stood up, walking towards the kitchen. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He opened the lid before swigging it down.

_Somebody told me that I always have__** to bow**__  
If that was true I would have __**fallen apart**__ by now  
The more you think, the less you__** act their way**__  
So can you hear this,__** the fake sound of progress**_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

They were always best friends. Riku and Sora. Sora and Riku. Always together. Then Kairi came, and it was the three of them, all together. Then in elementary, Roxas moved from Twilight Town, and Kairi and Namine became best friends. But through all of this, it was always Sora and Riku.

Riku, the suave, yet sophisticated ladies man. Sora, the down to earth, easily excitable kid. Nothing could break their harmony. Well, nothing except a girl.

Everyone was under the impression that Sora liked Kairi, their suspicions heightened by the fact that he never outright dismissed the claim, instead just playing it down. "We're just friends."

Riku, however, didn't understand the term "just friends" and pounced upon Sora's unwillingness to date her. Everyone thought this would be the end of it, no more Sora and Riku. Yet here they were.

"Hit them a bit higher!" Riku shouted, standing in between two traffic cones.

"Okay." Sora stood, his arms on his hips, staring down Riku.

"Hit me." Riku grinned. Sora ran forwards, smashing his right foot through the ball, causing it to fly past Riku, crashing off the metal fence behind him.

"Easy!" Sora stood triumphantly, his arms in the air.

"Fuck you." Riku laughed, rolling the ball out to him.

"Thanks again." Sora shouted over to him. "For helping me out."

"Not a problem man." Riku smiled.

"And another thing, how's the choir going?" Sora laughed.

"How do you know about that?" Riku asked, bewildered.

"Ah, it's great actually. C'mon, we'd best be off." Riku kicked the cone away from his feet before walking over to get his bag. Sora rubbed his face with the Celtic jersey he was wearing, before following his friend.

"So, doing anything in choir at the mo'?"

"Actually, I have a recital on Thursday night, and you're going." Riku wrapped his arm around his friends shoulder.

"I- I can't, sorry. I have a History essay to do. Part of my coursework. I'll get my ass kicked off the course and by my dad if it's not done."

"You're going. You and Kairi, poor girl can't go on her own."

"I'm really sorry Riku, but I can't go." Sora sighed.

"You're taking Kai' to my recital." Riku smiled at Sora.

"I have to do this essay, man. I'm sorry. Rox' can take her." Sora apologized.

"No, Sora. It has to be you. I'll give you some help with the essay. You just make sure you're ready to go tomorrow night, seven pm sharpish."

"But, why me?" The brunette inquired.

"Trust me; _you _can't afford to miss this."

_**Make me smile again**__  
__**Make me smile again, yeah**_

**05/01/2010 Updated 21/10/10**


	16. Bang!

Instead of giving you the usual spiel, just gonna say thanks for the reviews, sorry for the time taken for me to upload this (No computer, exams, Cobra Starship gig, etc.), and it all gets a bit more serious in this chapter (some implied sexual-ness and shit like that) ;)

And this Chapter is just one epic homage to what **used** to be the best TV show ever :)

The songs in this chapter is _God Only Knows_ by _The Beach Boys_ and _Total Eclipse of the Heart _by _Bonnie Tyler_.

It was quite possibly the most peculiar position he'd ever found himself in. He was pinned against the wall, his shirt unbuttoned, his fingers running through Namine's silky blond hair He hated to admit it, but he was enjoying his time with Namine. So much so, that the idea of the two of them being an item didn't seem so daunting anymore. He looked down into her cobalt eyes, biting timidly on his lower lip as she smiled deviously and began unbuttoning her blouse.

**Teenage Kicks**

_"Your best friend is dating the love of your life. You're secretly dating the object of your other best friend's affections. You're going through a personal hell and everyone's out to get you. But hey, that's High School for you!"_

**Chapter Sixteen**

"My mom told me that the woman who works as Doctor Stonem's assistants work experience student said he's got subdural hematoma."

Kairi tuned in to the conversation behind her over the rest of the noise in the English classroom. The substitute teacher was taking the register for the class, and amid the array of "here's" and "present's" the conversation had turned to one thing. Or to be more precise, one person.

"What's that?"

"Well, mom said it's like a trauma injury, y'know? She said it fucks your head right up," _Check_. "Causes you to lose consciousness," _Check_. "Makes your personality change," _Check_. "And it can make your dick stop working!" Kairi gasped slightly, turning slightly to watch her classmates deep in conversation, before turning back and quickly scribbling 'subdural hematoma' into her notebook.

"Sora Carmichael?" The room was silent at the call of Sora's name. "Sora Carmichael? Does any one know where he is?" Again, the teachers question fell on seemingly deaf ears. "Kairi, where's Sora?"  
"Um," She sat up. "I saw him during interval, but I have no idea where he is now." The teacher sighed.  
"Alright then, everyone open your copy of Macbeth up at the start of act three. From the top, Kairi." Kairi scanned the page quickly, before looking at her teacher with a confused look on her face.  
"But Sir, It's Macbeth who's speaking just now."  
"Well, since Sora isn't here right now, you'll have to do it for him. Blame him, not me." Kairi groaned, before she began to read the text.  
"Here's our chief guest." Kairi spoke loudly. A large pause followed this.  
"Well?"  
"Well what? I've read the line."  
"You're part is Lady Macbeth, correct?" Kairi nodded. "So you have to do both parts."  
"So I have to have a conversation with myself? That's kinda retar-" Kairi was interrupted when the door swung open and Sora walked slowly into the classroom.  
"Where have you been, Mr Carmichael? And why do you look such a mess?" The teacher referred to Sora's appearance. His collar was up at the back, the knot of his tie barely the size of a malteser. His classmates laughed when they saw his hair which, despite it usually being what many described as a mess, was a disaster.  
"Um, I got held up in gym. I went to see the coach and he made me help tidy everything up." He explained.  
"Ah, I see. So that clearly explains your collar, your tie, your hair and the fact that only the top five buttons of your shirt are done."  
"Yep, pretty much." Sora grinned, his hands clasped behind his head.  
"Get out of my class now! And don't come back until you look presentable!" Sora began walking out of the class. He turned to face the teacher.  
"Starting a sentence with the word 'and'; not very good grammar, is it? I suggest you get yourself a tutor." He winked before striding out of the room. Kairi, unable to contain herself, began laughing wildly.  
"That's enough out of you, Shaw! Just continue where you were."  
"If he had been forgotten, It had been as a gap in our great feast, And all-thing unbeco-" Once again, Kairi was interrupted. This time however, it wasn't by a smitten adolescent, but instead by the school fire alarm.  
"Everyone remain calm! Take your time, and no rush- What's the point, they aren't even listening to me." Consigning himself to defeat, he picked up his briefcase before swiftly exiting the classroom.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"It was so fucking funny man!" Seifer laughed. "I swear one of the noobs started crying."  
"Heh, looking forward to tomorrow night?"  
"Aye, aye. We can do them, eh? Almasy, Carmichael, Martingale, Kharral, Heartilly. Best Destiny soccer team ever."  
"I wouldn't bet against it. Anyway I gotta go."  
"See ya around, Sora." Seifer waved as Sora departed. The brunette walked over to where his friends had congregated, choosing to sit on the window ledge just behind the dining table they sat around.  
"Why were you talking to that chump?" Roxas asked, disgusted.  
"Just discussing the game man, relax." Sora answered. He looked at his friends. Riku was sat next to Kairi, with Selphie, Tidus and Wakka opposite them. Roxas was sitting in the corner and Namine was directly across from Sora. He smiled at her, and she returned the sentiment by licking her lips seductively. He blushed slightly, before Riku spoke.  
"Anyone have any idea what set the fire alarm off?" He asked.  
"A fire?" Roxas guessed.  
"Someone burnt Ice cream?" Sora chirped in.  
"Sora." Kairi stated. "Sora pulled it." Everyone looked shocked.  
"N-no I didn't." Sora pleaded.  
"Yeah, you did. After you made a big scene in the class, you went out then you pulled it. It's pretty obvious."  
"Hang on." Roxas interrupted. "My boy Sora here, he caused a scene? How so?"  
"Well, he came in the class looking like he'd been attacked my some rampant animal," Sora slyly winked at Namine. "Then he gave the supply teacher cheek."  
"Hey!" Sora objected. "I timed my interruption to perfection, after all, you were about to say you were retarded."  
"No I wasn't!" Kairi loudly argued. "I was saying Macbeth was retarded. Jeez, Sora, you're such a dick!" Kairi stood up and stormed off.  
"What the fuck did I do?" Sora asked Riku, who shrugged.  
"Be right back." Riku slithered up from his seat towards Kairi, blocking her exit. He was seemingly trying to calm her down, although his words were incomprehensible from the other side of the room. Sora stood up, entering Riku's line of view. He started gesturing with his arms, trying to make them look like letters.  
"Give me a P! Give me an M! Give me an S! What does it spell?" He turned to his friends. Selphie sat, looking at him puzzled. She was deep in thought. Sora looked at his watch. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen.  
"Oh, I get it!" Selphie cried. Sora and Roxas burst into a sarcastic simultaneous applause for her. Riku swiftly turned away from Kairi and back towards Sora.  
"Remember, seven pm. Sharpish."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Russia...was...a...Superpower...and...Lech...Walesa...was...a..." Sora stopped typing and began flicking through his History textbook. "Polish...man...who..." He sighed, tapping his fingers off the keyboard lightly. "Oh, what the fuck did he do?" he asked himself. He sat, passing the minutes doing anything but his History coursework. "Fuck this." He picked up his television remote and turned it on. Seconds later, Laguna crashed into the room, switched the television off and unplugged it.

"What did I say to you? No TV." He hoisted the television into the air, before struggling over to Sora's bedside cabinet. "No stereo." He did the same thing with Sora's stereo, swinging it up over his shoulder. He shuffled over to Sora's window, yanking the curtains shut. "Say goodbye to sunshine, Sunshine. You are grounded!" Sora exhaled, his head in his hands. "You'll thank me for this one day!" Laguna said, Sora lip syncing every word that came out his father's mouth. Laguna stormed out of the room angrily, slamming the door behind him. In his haste, however, the plug for the television got caught by Sora's closing bedroom door. Sora heard a loud crash.

"Ow, oh fuck!" He heard Laguna cry.

"What's happened?" A woman shouted through.

"I've fallen down the stairs, you silly cow! That's what's happened."

Once more, the room was silent, and it was just Sora and his coursework. Sighing, he crept over towards his bed, collapsing heavily onto it. His arms behind his bed, he stared upwards towards his bedroom ceiling. He was bored, really bored. He began to think of his recent visits to the health center, and what the doctor had explained to him. "Oh well," He looked down at his belt, "Here goes nothing." He unzipped his trousers and put his hand in his trousers. Minutes passed...

Nothing.

"Ah, for fuck sake." He reached behind his pillow using his free hand, fishing out a photograph of Kairi that was taken at the beach that Summer. "This makes me a terrible person, doesn't it?" He then continued to do what he was doing previously, only this time his eyes were fixated on the photograph. "Ah, yeah that's better." He grinned. He stopped abruptly however, as his bedroom door opened suddenly and Riku stepped in.

They both stared at each other in silence, before Riku spoke.

"I'm just gonna go out and then come back in again. Okay?" He smiled, before exiting the room.

"Would you?" _Oh, fuck! _Riku knocked on Sora's bedroom door.

"Hello!" Sora said, nervously.

"Hey, it's Riku." A voice came from beyond the door.

"Yeah, er," Sora fixed his trousers. "Come in." Riku walked in and waved casually at him.

"All right Sora? Felt you might need a hand. With your coursework." Sora nodded. "Let's get some air in here." Riku yanked the curtains open before thrusting the window wide open. Sora quickly tossed the photograph under his pillow. "All better."

Riku's face suddenly turned more serious. "Is that a picture of my girlfriend?" he asked Sora. He quickly retrieved the picture from under the pillow, before studying it. He smiled. "I was wondering where that went."

He walked over to Sora's PC. "Russia... Lech Welesa... Jesus Sora." He deleted Sora's work before beginning to type furiously.

"The USSR model could be described as a relationship of control and manipulation, but the events in the G... Gadanska-" Sora read aloud what the silver-haired Riku was typing.

"Gdansk." Riku corrected him.

"Gdansk shipyard in the Autumn of 1980 was a... Wow, that's some really good bullshit." Sora grinned.

"No problem," Riku stood up. "Now get up, let's go."

"Where to?" Sora enquired.

"My choir concert, don't tell me you've forgotten." Riku groaned.

"I can't. I'm grounded."

"Don't be such a fucking vagina. This is gonna be something special." Riku pleaded. "Anyway, I need someone to keep Kairi company."

"Oh, right."

"Yep, Kai'll be there, and you'll want to see this. Trust me."

"Sorry about that." Sora pointed to the photograph. "You won't tell her, will you?"

"She thinks the world of you Sora, really. And things run their course. You get bored."

"Are you gonna tell me what your fucking talking about?" Sora asked, confused.

"All in due time, Sora my boy. Now we gotta get you out and about more. That... disasterpiece of an opening line just highlights how much you've been affected by, you know..."

"Yeah." Sora grimaced as he heard Laguna bawling up the stairs.

"You'd better be fucking studying boy or else I'm go-" He opened the door to see Riku. "Oh hi Riku, How's things?"

"Not bad Laguna. Is that landfill survey finished? I'd really love to see it someday."

"Yeah, yeah. It's actually a really interesting analysis of decomposition." Riku nodded, intrigued while Sora rolled his eyes. "But, you see, Sora actually has some coursework to do, so..." Laguna motioned for the door.

"Of course. I'll see you soon Sora. Nice to see you again, Laguna." Riku smiled before walking down the stairs. "Goodbye, Liz."

"Bye Riku." Sora's mom answered as Riku left the house. Laguna stared down at Sora.

"What?" Sora asked.

"Why couldn't you be... Why did I..." He smiled falsely at a bewildered Sora, before leaving the room**.**

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Why are you even here?" Sora asked Roxas.

"Well, I heard 'choirgirls', so I came." Roxas replied, clearly out of it.

"What have you been taking?" Kairi asked him.

"Just an E man, I'm good." Roxas laughed. Kairi sighed, before walking ahead of the pair. Sora stood, his eyes fixated on her. She was wearing a low silver top with a small charcoal skirt. She had a red ribbon tied over just under her chest.

"Move, loverboy!" Roxas shunted him into the church. Sora looked around the church, awestruck by the beauty and grandeur of the old building. He hurried up to catch up with Kairi, who was currently walking over the satin carpet to a bench at the midway point of the room. They sat down just in time for the show to begin.

Everyone began to clap as the choir began to assemble at the front of the church. Sora counted around fifty girls all standing on the stage. They were all dressed the same way; wearing a white blouse, a long black skirt and a red scarf. Yet there was no sign of Riku.

_I may not always love you  
But long as there are stars above you  
You never need to doubt it  
I'll make you so sure about it  
God only knows what I'd be without you_

"Where's Riku?" Kairi asked. "Fuck, we'd better be at the right concert."

"We are." Sora pointed to Riku's name on the program. "He's right here." Sora looked to his right to see Roxas, with a massive grin on his face, dancing to their singing like a little kid.

_God only knows what I'd be without you_

"Beach Boys man, fucking top!" He laughed.

"I don't understand this, where is he?" Sora asked, bewildered.

_God only knows what I'd be without you_

"Hold on." Kairi quietened him as the choir girls began to descend the steps from the alter, creating two rows with a gap in between. Riku walked out into the gap, wearing a black tuxedo over a black shirt, his silver hair slicked back, neatly. Alongside him, another girl emerged, and they both walked down to the front together. Kairi's faced beamed as Riku sang solo.

_I may not always love you  
But long as there are stars above you  
You never need to doubt it  
I'll make you so sure about it  
God only knows what I'd be without you _

Sora looked at Kairi, who was the happiest he had ever seen her in his entire life. The girl alongside Riku began to sing on her own.

_If you should ever leave me  
Though life would still go on, believe me  
The world could show nothing to me  
So what good would livin' do me  
God only knows what I'd be without you _

They turned to each other and looked into each other's eyes. Kairi's smile dampened slightly as they took each other's hands and began to sing to one another.

_God only knows what I'd be without you _

_God only knows what I'd be without you _

_God only knows what I'd be without you _

_God only knows what I'd be without you _

As their singing gently reduced itself to a whisper, Riku placed his hand behind the girl's neck and began to kiss her. Kairi looked on in disbelief as he ended their kiss. She was static as the audience around her clapped profusely at the performance. She felt her whole world collapsing around her, like her heart had been ripped out. She stood up angrily and stormed towards the makeshift dressing rooms at the side of the room, with Sora in hot pursuit. Roxas, however, stayed behind and began to watch the second act which was a group of young teenage boys singing _play, David play_ while waving their arms back and forth. Roxas, still high, began to copy them on the middle of the floor.

Kairi approached Riku's dressing room, completely ignoring the screams coming from the girls behind her as Sora followed her through the girls changing area. She looked at the door, which was covered in heart shaped love notes. Fuming, she flung the door open to see Riku standing with the girl he had been singing with. His hand was under her shirt, caressing her breast as she sang.

_I need you now tonight._

_I need you more than ever._

"What the fuck?" Kairi growled, her face as red as her hair.

Riku turned to face the seething Kairi. "Hi. Just checking Yuna's diaphragm contractions."

"What the hell is going on?"

"A simple act of performance, sweetie. Did you enjoy the show?" Riku asked.

"Oh, bullshit Riku! You fucking sick... God, you're such a wanker!"

"Here you go." Riku passed her a bouquet of purple flowers, which Kairi grabbed and ripped to shreds.

"Fuck you!" She turned to Yuna. "And you can fuck off too! Right in my face, you whore!" She slapped Yuna with force. "Bye, Riku." She turned and ran off.

"Bye, Kai'." He looked into Yuna's asymmetrical eyes, "Could you give me and Sora a minute, babes?" She nodded before walking out the room, casually. He grinned, before turning to admire himself in the mirror. He popped his collar. "See, I told you it'd be worth coming for." He turned to the brunette. "Looks like me and Kai' are on a break."

"Wait," Sora was bewildered. "You did that on purpose?"

"Go after her."

"What?"

"Come on man, life throws up so few opportunities-"

"But she's your girlfriend!"

"Who you love."

"What?"

"Change. It's a wonderful thing."

"Look, you know how subatomic particles don't obey physical laws? They act according to chance, chaos, coincidence. They run into each other in the middle of the universe and bang! Energy." Sora looked at him, perplexed. "We're the same as that. That's the great thing about the universe. Unpredictable. That's why it's so much fun."

"I'm... just gonna go see if she's okay, all right?" Sora backed away.

"Sora." Sora continued to step back as Riku raised his arm to his chest, his closed fist opening swiftly as he spoke. "Bang!"

Sora walked out, confused as Yuna ran past him towards Riku and embraced him in a passionate kiss.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Are you okay?" Sora ran up behind Kairi, the streetlights illuminating the otherwise dark streets around them.

"Yes. I'm fucking fantastic!" Kairi bawled sarcastically, through streams of tears.

"Can I? Shall I?" Sora blabbered.

"You knew! You fucking knew about her!"

"No, I didn't." Sora pleaded.

"How could you fucking not know, you asshole? You and your fucking bum chum!"

"No, I really didn't!"

"Fuck off!" She stormed off, leaving Sora alone in the middle of the empty street.

**09/02/2010 Updated 21/10/10**


	17. Cold

A quick(er) update! _Ooh Emm Gee!_

If your expecting a message from me, you'll get it eventually by the way. I'm not ignoring you :) I have to type these on a fricking PDA, then upload it on the PS3, so I can't get on anything to message. I will ASAP though. Promise.

There's a poll about this story on my profile... Do it! :) And a playlist too.

The song in this chapter is _The Captain _by _Biffy Clyro._

"Hey, How'd that taste, eh?" Sora groaned slightly as he sat up. He blinked, trying to focus his eyes. Wiping his eyes with his right hand, he used his left to aid himself as he rose to his feet. He looked down, surveying his once pearl white shirt, which was now stained brown from the mud. He ran his hand through his spiky hair, causing it to become flat amidst the torrential downpour. He felt a pair of hands grip onto his shoulders, and he turned his head to see Roxas standing behind him.

"Come on Sora, stay strong. Everyone here knows you're a star and, quite frankly, this is your time to shine. We can do this, Captain." Roxas grinned, before gesturing towards Sora in the form of an over exaggerated salute.

_We Can Do this._

_Angels fall to the floor  
Like they would if I was captain  
"Silver children," She roared  
"I'm not the son of God"  
Somebody help me sing  
Can anybody hear me?  
Liars and lovers combine tonight  
We're gonna make a scene_.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"So, did it all go according to plan then?" Riku banged his locker shut, before turning to Sora. He leaned against the wall.

"No!" Sora grimaced.

"Ah, that's because you never followed the rules, man. Simple dating etiquette." Riku smiled.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Sora asked him, confused.

"Yes Grasshopper. Sensei say that boy must wait 12 hour before he approach girl on rebound." Riku put on a false Japanese accent.

"This is fucked up, Riku!" Sora protested.

"Isn't it?" Riku grinned.

"Don't you want her?" Sora questioned him, still confused at the entire situation.

"I told you. It's a gift." Riku explained.

"You fucking freak me out sometimes."

"But it's never dull. Is it?"

"No." Sora finally admitted.

"Ring her. Take her for a drink, and see. What's the worst that can happen? It's your choice, dude. Your choice." With that Riku patted Sora on the shoulder before turning and walking off. Sora turned around to watch his friend leave. Riku, no longer looking at Sora, brought his hand up to his ear, and made a gesture with his hand resembling a phone, sensing that Sora was watching him. Sora turned and began to walk the other way. He pulled his cell from his pocket and called Kairi.

"Hi, Kai, it's Sora"

"Fuck off, I don't want to speak to you."

"Kai'." He pleaded.

"You heard me!"

"I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry."

"You really think that cuts it?"

"Yeah I know and I wanna see you so I can make it up to you."

"I can't take your shit, you and Riku. And you wanna talk?"

"I don't want to talk, I'm tired. You both fucked me over. Just like that."

"Just meet me at the Paupo bar off Maine Road, I'll explain."

"Explain! Yeah..."

"Please, Kai, I wanna see you."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_And the away side have a free kick here, around 27 yards from the goal line. And up steps the midfield maestro Cook here with a chance to strike an early blow in this tense derby match. DHS have a three man wall here, consisting of Middleweek, Martingale, and the debutant captain, Carmichael. _

Kairi lay on her bed, her eyes focused on the ceiling above her. She turned to check the time on her clock. _7.49._

_The referee's whistle blows, Cook checks his run, and bang! It's 1-0 to the away side, after just four minutes. Not the start that the DHS coach, Cid Highwind, would have been hoping for. Looking back at the replays here, it seems the ball struck the leg of Sora Carmichael on its way in. _

She sighed, turning the radio off before climbing off her bed towards her television. She switched it on, before flicking through the channels.

"Shopping, Shopping, Hannah Montana, Degrassi, News, Soccer, Sweet 16." She groaned. "Why is there absolutely nothing decent on?" Resigning herself to defeat, she turned the channel to the soccer game, before flinging herself back on to her bed. Her heart panged as she saw Sora on the screen, his head in his hands. Her feelings for him at that very moment in time were not exactly the nicest she had ever felt for him, if she was being honest. He had phoned her earlier on, asking if they could meet up later. She jumped slightly as her phone began to ring pn her bedside table. She picked it up, looking at the caller ID. Namine.

"Hey." She heard Namine's voice shake over the phone.

"Hi." Kairi replied to her best friend.

"Why wer-Sora told me why you weren't in school today. How are you feeling."

"Not as shitty as you'd expect." Kairi answered, still unsure of how she truly felt.

"Don't blame Sora, Kairi. Does it really seem like the kind of thing he would do?"

"No, I suppose not. Where are you just now, anyway?"

"Um... Well... Awkward. Riku kinda dragged me out to watch the soccer game. Have I ever told you how much I despise soccer? Or how much I hate the freezing cold weather?" Namine shivered, changing the subject.

"Just a few times, Nam. Just a few." Kairi laughed. "Listen, I gotta go, Nam'. Enjoy yourself."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then? Promise?"

"Okay, I promise!"

"Good! Now, don't you be doing anything daft!"

"I won't, I won't." Kairi laughed down the phone as she hung up on her friend. Meeting Sora, would that be 'daft'?

_Somebody help me sing, whoaaaoh  
Somebody help me sing, whoaaaoh_

_Help me be captain of  
Our crippled disguises  
I won't show what's underneath  
It's time for surprises  
I can't climb up your ladder  
I can't ride your horse  
I've swallowed half an hourglass  
So now the landscape is swollen up_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Oh for fucks sake!" Riku sighed, placing his head in his hands. He looked down at the ground dejectedly, surveying the multitude of stickers and graffiti scrawled below him, worn overtime by the footprints of the students. He looked back up, a feeling of deja vu washed over him as he saw Sora sitting on the ground, his head in his hands for the second time in a matter of minutes. The score was now 2-0 to the visitors, and once again the goal they had scored was a fluke, this time looping over the head of a helpless Wakka in goals after a low driven shot had cannoned off of Sora's legs, meaning, on a technicality; Sora had scored both of the opposition's goals.

"Hey, it's just a game, right?" Namine reassured him.

"Yeah sure, but it's my chance to go with them to Russia on the line, or so they say, and they're fucking up."

"But, it's like you said, they're just saying that, right?"

"Well, yeah. But it's the principle! They were given an ultimatum I suppose, and that's them fucking up." He exhaled slowly, his breath condensed before him, creating a small puff of steam. "Namine, do you remember the last time it snowed here?" Riku looked into her cobalt eyes.

"Um, no actually. I moved here when I was nine, from Twilight Town. It never snowed there." She shook her head. She pulled her sleeves over her wrists, trying to keep herself warm. She clasped her hands on her lap.

"You've never seen snow then?" Riku was slightly taken aback.

"I guess not, no."

"Well, seeing as it's well below freezing here, and it's only bloody September, you'll probably see some." Riku smiled.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Riku tilted his head slightly.

"What do you mean, Nam'?"

"Well, just last week, it was boiling. Like 80 Fahrenheit boiling. Now it's stone cold."

"Well, we are right next to the sea." Riku pointed to the other side of the soccer pitch. Just past the sideline at the edge of the park was a steep drop which led to a small beach at the sea. "It was a bit daft putting the bleachers over there," He pointed to behind the far away goal, to a set of bleachers that almost hugged onto the wall of the school, "And a permanent stand here when the two bare sides are bordered by the sea. I mean, if anyone misses a shot into that goal, or clears the ball away, then it lands straight in the water."

"Yeah, that does seem pretty daft." Namine giggled.

"I suppose you get a really nice view." Riku admitted.

"Riku?" Namine asked shyly, her head pointed towards her shoes.

"Yeah?"

"You won't tell anyone about what I told you earlier, will you? About me and Sora?"

"No, don't worry," He smiled reassuringly, "Are you going out with him tonight?"

"I don't know yet, he's grounded, remember? Poor soul was stuck in all on his lonesome last night." Riku stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, that was a shame, at least he got a start on his coursework." Riku smiled proudly when he thought about what had transpired just 24 hours previously.

"Yaaay!" Namine interrupted his thoughts as she jumped up to her feet, bouncing on the spot, clapping wildly. He looked down onto the pitch where he saw Sora giving Roxas a highfive, the ball in his hands as he rushed back to the center spot to start the game again.

"Who scored?" Riku asked her.

"Um, Sora kicked the ball, and it hit Tidus on the head and went in!" Namine grinned.

"So, Tidus _headered_ the ball?"

"Something like that." Namine shrugged. A voice over the tannoy system confirmed what Namine had said to him, proclaiming that Tidus had put the ball in the net.

"C'mon!" Riku whispered, rubbing his hands together to generate heat.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"C'mon lads!" Seifer banged his fist against a locker as they sat in the changing room at half time. The score was now 4-2 to Destiny Academy, who had scored two right before half time following Irvine Kinneas' equalizing volley. What was usually a place where the chatter of the team echoed off the walls was now a silent chamber.

It's kind of funny. That even just sitting here, in the warmth of this room, you still feel the cold from outside in your bones. Honestly, sitting in this room right now, surrounded by my dejected comrades, I felt like a liar, a fraud. Football was the last thing on my mind right now. There was only one thought racing through me at this moment, one person, Kairi. The cold feeling that ran through me was like someone had taken all the marrow from my body and replaced it with ice. Well, not someone, I knew exactly who it was. The physical coldness turns into an emotional freeze, and at that moment in time I felt fragile. I felt cold. I just wished I could go back, I don't know when till, but far enough back so that I could have seized my chance. That way I would be warm. I wish I could have stopped Roxas from driving that night. He wasn't under any influence but I just wish that everything that had transpired could be undone. That way I would be warm. A bitter chill ran through my spine, and not the kind that I felt nearly every winter morning after leaving my house twenty minutes late sans a jacket. It was an empty, ferocious blizzard that never seemed to dissipate with the warmth I clinged to, Namine. I just sat there, my head in my hands, praying for the thaw, for the cold to end. I prayed for somewhere warm, where my shivers would melt away. Somewhere I'd be alive again.

I was shunted back to life by Roxas slapping me on the side of the head, signalling the rest break was up, and that it was time to get back to the game. I stood up, before taking my place in front of him as we processed out of the dressing room to the tunnel. I felt him raising his hand to my ear, cupping it before whispering to me. "You just take care of yourself; we'll take care of the rest." I showed no emotion as we walked down the tunnel, our white and cyan uniforms contrasting with the blood red attire of our opposition who walked alongside us. We emerged into a cauldron of noise, rhythmic chanting echoing between the two sets of supporters, blue and white streamers and confetti reigning down on us from our own supporters, with grey and red smokebombs and pyrotechnics being unleashed by the Destiny Academy fans. I walked with Roxas to the center circle, the wet grass squishing gently against my black cleats, the bitter wind passing through my fragile being. I stood, my hands on my hips, gazing out at the sea, the reflections of the floodlights and flares glistening in the night. The referee's whistle pierced through the night sky. And we were underway once more.

_I gave birth to a fire  
It's like it's features were burning  
I'm in control, I am the son of God  
Somebody help me sing  
Can anybody hear me?  
Line up your soldiers one final time  
We're gonna have a ball._

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_And a recap if you happen to be just tuning in to DHSFM (Where on Earth have you been?), After going into the break 4-2 up, Destiny Academy looked to have won the game when Cook scored his third of the game from the penalty spot after he was adjudged to be brought down by Zell Dincht in what was a controversial moment as the DHS right back saw red. Then with fifteen minutes to go, Seifer Almasy powered home a bullet header from 14 yards to cut the deposite to two, before becoming embroidered in a spat with Academy's midfield maestro, Zidane, who in a moment of madness lived up to his name by headbutting his opponent square in the chest. With both men dismissed, and Watts sent off for DHS for a bizarre handball, we are down four players with Destiny High down to just eight men, against ten. We bring you back to the game here with the scoreline reading Destiny High 3, Destiny Academy 5!_

Sora stood over the ball, the sounds of the crowd washing out whatever Roxas was shouting at the referee. He wasn't the best lip syncer in the world, but he was convinced his fuming friend was saying something to the referee about how the Academy players were "Dirty, cheating, arrogant bastards", or something to that effect. Sora looked down at the ball, stifling a laugh. He peeked back up to look at the score behind the goal that his side were defending. Eight minutes to go. He waited until the referee blew his whistle, his patience deteriorating by the second. He heard Roxas shouting instructions to him. As the referee gave him the signal to commence play, Sora quickly rolled the ball to Roxas, who smashed it with his left foot into the top corner of the goal from about thirty yards. Sora smiled, but as he saw his teammates celebrating the goal, he felt the need to follow his duties as captain.

"Right, Come on!" he bawled to his teammates. "We're getting beat by our biggest rivals, the title favourites, and you guys are celebrating? Save that until we aren't losing. We still have a game to play." Tidus nodded understandingly as he and the other white-jerseyed teenagers swiftly returned to their own half to start the game again.

The minutes passed as Sora and his teammates laid siege on their rivals, searching desperately for an equalizing goal, with Sora coming closest after his glancing header agonizingly hit the woodwork. Now in the 89th minute of the game, Wakka clutched the ball in his palms, before throwing it upwards and punting it up field. Roxas, who was the closest in white to where the ball was going to land, predicted its landing position perfectly, catching it on his chest, his back to goal, he turned and lashed at the ball up towards the penalty box. Sora ran towards where it was going to land as fast as he could. The ball descended towards him, and by a stroke of luck managed to completely evade the defender, who's clean air swipe left a gap for Sora to run on through and catch the ball with his laces before it struck the ground, curling it into the top ran towards the jubilant DHS fans, who were in a frenzy. His arms stretched out as he slid along the grass on his knees in front of them, his head bowed down. He stayed like this until he was mobbed by his teammates, who all piled on top of him, causing the incredible noise throughout the stadium to become muted until one by one they got off of the dog pile, before Tidus helped Sora to his feet. Sora laughed when he noticed that Wakka had ran all the way from their goal to celebrate with them, and smiled as he and Tidus embraced each other, even although their friendship was hanging in tatters. Sora looked up at the clock as the game was restarted, 94. His heart was in his mouth as the Academy mounted another attack, sending all their outfield players into the DHS half. He stood in the center circle, unable to get back in time. His head in his hands. He pumped his fist as Wakka managed to smother a low, bouncing shot, before releasing the ball quickly up towards him. Sora turned quickly with the ball, noticing it was just him and the goalkeeper, with a defender closing in on him rapidly. He sprinted, trying his hardest to keep the ball under control while avoiding reckless challenges from the defender. He understood why the defender would try and foul him, and take the automatic red card. It would give him a chance to get nine defenders back and minimize the DHS attack. He managed to evade the defender without getting his legs tangled with him. _This is it._ He bore down on the 'keeper, before pulling his right leg back, ready to strike. He felt a thud against his left leg as he collapsed to heap in the dirt below him. He rolled onto his back, dazed as he landed on the side of his head. He looked up. The referee had given DHS a penalty! He lay there, hoping that he wouldn't be the one to take it. Normally, he would have been extremely confident in the situation, but he just felt so weak. Roxas ran over to him, offering a hand which Sora reluctantly grabbed, hauling himself to his feet. He limped over to talk to Tidus, who thrust the ball into his arms.

"It's up to you!" Tidus insisted.

"No, I don't wanna ta-" Sora tried to argue.

"Good luck, man" Roxas gave him a thumbs up.

"Fine!" Sora sighed, placing the ball on the spot. He stepped back, breathing slowly. He looked into the eyes of the goalkeeper, before looking down to the wet, muddy ground. Behind the goals a large number of DHS fans had congregated, with more making their way round to stand in support. An eerie silence fell over the stadium as the referee blew his whistle. He started his run up, checking it slightly, and then he shot.

_Somebody help me sing, whoaaaoh  
Somebody help me sing, whoaaaoh_

_Help me be captain of  
Our crippled disguises  
I won't show what's underneath  
It's time for surprises  
I can't climb up your ladder  
I can't ride your horse  
I've swallowed half an hourglass  
So now the landscape is swollen up_

_Let's throw death away_

_Let's throw death away_

_Let's throw death away_

**Let's throw death away**

**19/02/2010 Updated 21/10/10**


	18. Sadie Hawkins Last Dance

*Generic comment about reviews making the world go round...*

The song in this chapter is _All About Us _by _t.a.T.u._

He placed the ball on the spot, exhaling slowly as he paced back. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Done. He stood, hands on his hips, all the pressure in the world on his shoulders. He waited, his shirt blowing violently as the cruel wind continued to envelope then park. Surveying the ground below him, it looked more like a swamp. The grass was all cut up, mud sprayed everywhere, water flowing between the divots beneath his feet. He sighed, growing more and more uncharacteristically nervous as every second came and went. All he could hear was his heart thudding against his chest as he stood there, cutting a lonely figure, waiting for the referee to blow his whistle. He closed his eyes, shivering slightly as he awaited the signal. He locked eyes with the goalkeeper who he was up against as the whistle sounded. He started to run towards the ball, before stopping slightly to trick the keeper into diving early, and then his foot connected with the ball, driving it towards goal.

**Teenage Kicks **

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Sadie Hawkins Last Dance**

_And he's missed it! Unbelievably, the ball hasn't gone in. Sora stepped up to take it, but it looks like he slipped just before he made contact. This seems to have had a massive effect on where the ball was heading as, while it was still going to end up in the net, the Destiny Academy goalkeeper got his fingertips to the ball, pushing it onto the post. Incredible!_

Sora lay, his face buried into the ground, his hands behind his head, motionless. Even though he hadn't seen it, he knew the ball hadn't went in. He had ran up to take it, and when he went to strike the ball his studs got stuck in the mud, causing him to slide backwards, the momentum of his swinging leg causing him to land on his front. He remained motionless, the stadium was almost muted now. He grimaced in frustration, the smell of sweat, dirt and wet grass tickling his nostrils as he breathed in. He heard the students in the stand begin to murmur and moan in frustration, and it didn't take him long to suss out what was happening.

"Please, please tell me they haven't..." He groaned as he raised his head just in time to see the ball sliding under Wakka into the Destiny High School goal net. He punched the ground and screamed in frustration as he watched their delirious opponents celebrating the winning goal in the corner of the field, where their own fans were housed. He stood up slowly before trudging back into his own half, his hands behind his head as a feeling of disbelief washed over him. He approached the center circle, waiting for Roxas to kick the ball to him, which would then be followed by the referee ending the game. He kept his head pointed towards the ground, refusing to look Roxas in the eye. Roxas rolled the ball to him with his left foot. Sora flicked it up, before smacking it full force with the outside of his right foot towards the DA goal. He turned away from the ball and towards his team. Tidus flung his hands in the air, in a celebratory fashion, which caught Sora by surprise. He spun around quickly to see the ball had beaten the goalkeeper, who had been celebrating his teams late strike outside the box, and was now dipping towards the goal, he slowly raised his arms and gripped the back of his own neck. The ball thudded off the crossbar and out of play. The referee blew his whistle and Sora dropped to his knees defeated, his head in his hands.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Roxas paced back and forth, up and down the locker room as Sora slouched down on the seat. They had been told to wait there after the game, as the headmistress of the school wanted to speak to the team. Sora could only think of one possible reason for this; to tell the team they wouldn't be going to Russia. He sat there, feeling guilty as he was the one who had a chance to win the game, and he'd blown it.

"God, I feel like John Terry." Sora sighed, causing Roxas to laugh. He was referring to the fact that Chelsea captain John Terry had the chance to win the European Cup for Chelsea from the penalty spot, coincidentally in Russia, but had slipped at the last moment and missed.

"Don't worry man, it was clear that you didn't want to take it, so we shouldn't have gave you the ball. Sorry man." Roxas apologized.

"Yeah, brudda." Wakka agreed. "We win as a team, we lose as a team, ya?"

"What happens if we draw then?" Sora laughed, which drew a smile from the brooding Tidus. Their chat was cut short however as their headmistress, Edea Kramer, entered the dressing room. Sora looked down at his feet, towards his worn out Total 90 trainers that were several sizes too small for him. He looked up towards her, she wasn't as tall as he had thought she was, but then again he'd only ever saw her giving assemblies from the other side of the room. He guessed that she was around five foot six. She was an imposing figure, her tawny green eyes were enough to strike fear into the freshmen, her long black hair was straightened and flowed down her back, unlike its usual frizzy appearance. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say we're all over the moon about the soccer team. But I am going to say we are very impressed about how far you've come after last year's farce. However, we set you a target, a target that you failed to reach. Now, this school does not advocate nor tolerate failure, but seeing as you have come all this way in such a short time, and we are confident that this team will be up in the top three for the league come the end of the school year, we have decided to give you your reward of a trip to Russia." The team began to chatter excitedly over this. "On one condition. With that condition being that you all help out with this year's theatre production that the drama department is putting on. Now does anyone have any objections to this?"

"Do we have to, I mean c'mon, I'm hardly gonna fit in with all the dorks at this school am I? I'll make them all look bad." Seifer gloated, tying his shoe laces.

"Well then, you can help with the technical side of it all." Edea nodded at him, a smile etched, seemingly painfully across her face as she slowly exited the room.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Woooh, Russia!" Roxas smiled as he clung to Sora's shoulders, excitedly.

"Calm down, calm down." Sora insisted, to no avail. They walked out the front doors of the school, in much brighter moods than they had entered it after the game. As they began to walk home, they saw Riku leaning against the wall, waiting for them. He began to walk towards them, his face rendered black by the poor visibility.

"Have you spoke to her yet?" He spoke loudly.

"No man, that's where I'm heading now. Why?" Sora responded.

"Is she the reason you flung that game?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sora asked him.

"Don't bullshit me, Sora. Did you do that so you could have some alone time in Russia?"

"No, don;t be d-"

"I know about her Sora. You're little girlfriend."

"Huh? Riku, don't, please." Sora pleaded.

"Riku, you're going to Russia!" Roxas butted in, trying to avoid conflict. "Edea said you can go."

"Really?" Riku asked, unconvinced. He looked at Sora.

"Yeah, the whole team are getting to go." Sora backed Roxas up.

"Good," Riku smiled, his anger seemed to suddenly dissipate. "So, where you meeting her Sora?"

"I'm gonna head to the Paupo bar at the corner of Maine street, see if she'll show."

"Good luck man." Riku spoke coolly.

"Yeah, catch ya later." Roxas added. Sora waved to them both before turning and walking in the other direction, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"Think it'll work out for him?" Roxas asked Riku.

"Don't be daft." Riku laughed. "Well not right away, Kairi's a very stubborn young lady."

"S'pose, so where are we going anyway?"

"Down the center, obviously. We're going on the pull."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Sora sat at the bar, spinning a dollar on the wooden bar top. He sat, dressed in a red tartan shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. He grabbed the glass next to him and began to sip slowly on the contents. It was cider. For fifteen minutes he sat, tapping the sides of the glass. He was having a debate with himself, over whether he should stay or go.

"Fuck it." Sora turned around to the door, ready to jump down from the bars tool when he saw Kairi walking through the front door. She was wearing black jeans, a pink blouse and a black jacket. He turned quickly, pretending that he hadn't seen her. He heard footsteps approaching as she walked towards him. She sat down on the bars tool next to him.

"So?" She said, taking her jacket off.

"Um, hey. Thanks for coming." Sora responded, still refusing to look at her.

"Well, it's hardly like I was spending the evening with my boyfriend, was it."

"No, I guess not."

"I saw your football game."

"Oh, right."

"You were unlucky."

"Listen, Kairi. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know he was gonna pull that, honestly." Sora admitted. He looked at the contents of the glass he was touching. In it was about a shots glass full of amber liquid. He was caught off guard as she slowly leaned down, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Sora."

"What for?" He inquired, flustered and confused.

"For forgetting that you and Riku are separate people." Kairi admitted.

"Oh, right. Is that an easy thing to do?" Sora asked her.

"Well you do kind of come as a package deal," Kairi laughed. "You can't have one without the other."

"I suppose that makes sense." Sora had to speak loudly as the bar had begun to fill with people, who were all talking loudly.

"Hey, do you wanna come back to mine, to talk more?" Kairi asked Sora.

"Yeah sure." He jumped down from the stool, followed by Kairi who began putting on her jacket.

"Let's go then." She smiled as they walked out the bar.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Well, I think_ I'm _right!" Kairi laughed. "You're only fifteen, so you chose the Paupo bar, since you know one of the barmaids, and they sell you drink. God Sora, you alcoholic!"

"Oh you caught me." Sora laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Kairi asked him, out of the blue.

"Um, alright I suppose. A bit upset about earlier, but I'm good, why?"

"I meant your head, silly."

"Oh, better, but it's still really annoying, you know."

"Hmm..." They sat there in silence. Sora stood up, and walked towards Kairi's wall which was covered in photographs.

"Hey, there's me!" Sora grinned. Kairi sighed, slapping her head with her palm sarcastically.

"You're in nearly every one." She giggled as she followed him to the pictures.

"Hey, that one was at the Sadie Hawkins in eighth grade, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"You wouldn't believe how bummed I was when you didn't invite me to that." Sora admitted.

"No way!" Kairi was shocked.

"Yeah." Sora laughed. "You took that guy, who was it again?"

"Zok Fairchild" Kairi laughed nervously.

"That kid was a douchebag." Sora grinned.

"How so?"

"He just was, okay?" Sora laughed.

"Riiight. What was that dance called again?"

"The Sweetheart Dance." Sora said, mockingly.

"So, you really took that hard?"

"Oh, definitely. I was lucky Namine asked me, or else I would have been a loner."

"Yeah, Namine used to have a massive crush on you." Kairi admitted.

"Oh, I'd never have guessed." Sora smiled.

"Nope, I guess she kept that one quiet."

"Yeah, you never missed much, I can't dance for shit to be honest. By the way, you'd better take your camera on Monday." Sora quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, don't worry, I will. To be honest though. I'm quite bummed that Riku's going." Sora was taken aback.

"Huh, but I thought you really liked him."

"I thought so to, but it's times like these that make me think my mind, my heart, was playing tricks on me."

"Times when he acts like a douche?" Kairi snorted slightly.

"No, silly. Times with- You know what, never mind. I'm sure it'll all be fine."

"Yeah." Sora stated simply, continuing to browse through Kairi's pictures. They both jumped slightly as there was a knock on Kairi's door, before her mom walked through the door with two glasses of punch, as well as a tray of biscuits.

"Oh hi Sora!" She beamed. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Hi Missus Shaw." Sora smiled.

"I wasn't expecting to see you up here, how have you been, since your accident?"

"I've been good thanks."

"That's great to hear. Tell your mom I was asking for her, will you?"

"I'll make sure I do."

"Great. Now you two tuck in and enjoy." With this, she slowly closed the door while mouthing something to Kairi.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Kairi grinned as she repeated the tactic she had used on Roxas just days previous.

"Not this again. If your mom wasn't expecting me, why did she bring up two glasses?"

"Probably thought you were Riku." Kairi shrugged. "Be right back." Kairi tapped him on the shoulder before walking out of the room. Sora sat, looking at the pictures, smiling. Minutes later, he heard the door opening behind him once more, acknowledging this simply with a wave of his hand. He heard who he presumed to be Kairi fumbling about in the background.

_They say, they don't trust,  
You, me, we, us,  
So we'll fall if we must,  
Cause it's you, me,  
And it's all about,  
It's all about_

_It's all about us, all about us  
It's all about, all about us  
All about us  
There's a thing that they can't touch  
'Cause you know..._

The lights in the room dimmed and he turned around to see Kairi standing next to the light switch dressed in a classy, elegant light blue dress. He sat there shocked, not saying a word. "I wanted to make it up for you, for not asking you to that dance." Sora smiled in disbelief.

"Um..."

"Dance with me, you lazy bum." She held her hand out towards him which he took, rising to his feet. She placed her arms around his neck and began dancing slowly to the music that she had been setting up moments before.

_...It's all about us, all about us  
It's all about, all about us  
All about us  
We'll Run away if we must  
'Cause you know_

_It's all about us, It's all about us  
It's all about love, It's all about us  
In you I can trust, It's all about us  
It's all about us_

"Hey I remember this song." Sora exclaimed as he placed his arms on her shoulders, before quickly dropping them to her hips, blushing at his error. They danced slowly, with Kairi drawing closer to him as the seconds was played at the Sadie Hawkins dance during their last year of Middle School.

"You know," Sora whispered, "I really like it like this. Just you and me. I'm not saying that in an I love you kind of way, but I mean like, just me and you, with everything else melting away around us. All our problems, just gone." Kairi nodded, she was welling up inside, but was trying her hardest not to show it. "Me and you, just taking it slow, making it last." Sora smiled at her.

_They don't know,  
They can't see,  
Who we are,  
Fear is the enemy,  
Hold on tight,  
Hold on to me,  
'Cause tonight,_

_It's all about us,  
It's all about, all about us  
There's a thing that they can't touch  
'Cause you know..._

"Since you told me a secret, I guess I have to tell you one." Kairi spoke at the same level as Sora. "I always used to think of you as just Sora, just my friend. But looking back, I guess that's changed a bit." Sora's heart was beating faster and faster, his cheeks growing redder and redder. "I think I-l I thi-" Kairi looked down slightly, only for her head to be raised by Sora's fingers resting gently against her chin. She smiled slightly. "I think you're cute." Sora grinned slightly,even although this isn't what he wanted to hear, and he knew for sure that this isn't what she was going to say. A thousand thoughts raced through his head,_ How on earth could 'I think I l-', turn to 'I think you're cute'? _Sora was brought back to reality buy Kairi's voice. "Zok's old news." Kairi admitted.

_But is Riku?_

_...It's all about us, all about us  
It's all about, all about us  
All about us  
There's a thing that they can't touch_  
_'Cause you know_

_It's all about us, It's all about us  
It's all about love, It's all about us  
In you I can trust, It's all about us_

Sora looked her in the eyes, trembling slightly. He decided then and there he was going to go for it. As they danced, he was going to kiss her. He started to lean inwards, focusing in on her sea blue eyes. She realized what he was doing, and she closed her eyes, waiting, waiting on him to kiss her. He didn't. She opened her eyes and looked at Sora. His eyes were focused behind her. She turned slowly to see Riku standing in the now open doorway, leaning against the door frame. She scowled at him, before turning back to Sora, humming slightly to get Sora's attention. Sora looked down at her slightly and they continued to dance. Riku slowly made his way over to the couple, before placing an arm around each of them as they danced. This unnerved Sora, who slowly pulled his arms from Kairi's hips before receding slowly towards the doorway. However, Riku pulled him back towards them and continued to stand dance with both of them. Sora once more pulled away, more forcefully this time. Riku seemed to submit to the fact that Sora wanted out. He turned, face on with Kairi, who's head was bowed, eyes shut, and placed his hands around her hips, forcefully pulling her closer to him. Sora walked to the doorway, turning back to look at his two friends. Riku looked him in the eyes, and put his arm out in front of himself, behind Kairi, fist clenched. He opened his fist suddenly, and mouthed something to Sora. _Bang!_

_It's all about us, all about us  
It's all about, all about us  
All about us  
We'll Run away if we must  
'Cause you know_

_It's all about us, It's all about us  
It's all about love, It's all about us  
In you I can trust, It's all about us_

_**It's all about us!**_

I know it's a Veronica's song btw, this version just suits more.

Previews again, just felt it's been a while.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"What were the odds of this, huh?" Sora stood up, looking out of the window at the snow below them.

"Odds of what? This rusty piece of shit breaking down?" Kairi watched him as he looked outside.

"No, of me and you getting stuck up here together."

"Well, there's what, 20 students here, so that's about, say, 380 different possible combinations of pupils in the ski-lift together."

"That's not what I mean." Sora sighed. "What's with the hostility towards me, Kai'?" Sora banged his fist against the glass before Kairi spoke. "Looks like we could be up here a while."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" Sora held on to her, drawing her closer to him as she sobbed hysterically.

"No, I wasn't. I was wide awake."

"I thought you didn't care, y'know, about him."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Russia is so boring." Sora sighed, his knees up, leaning against his bed.

"Yep, sure is." Namine slouched down next to him, clasping her hand in his.

"Hm, I was sure that it was gonna be so much better than this too."

"Hey, we still have a while left here, you know."

"Yeah, I suppose. But right now it sucks, and there is absolutely nothing to do." Sora placed his head against his knees.

"Hey. Wanna have sex?"

**21/10/2010 Updated 20/10/2010**


	19. Filler Chapter at 46,000 Feet

List of reasons for not updating:

x No computer

x Writers block

x Final Fantasy XIII

x General socializing

x I wrote what will effectively be chapter 30-something the other night. (Clue: It's sad.)

x I wrote what will effectively be chapter 20-something the other night. (Clue: It's makes said sadness possible.)

x Couldn't think of a song for a filler chapter

x Ten words makes this chapter not as short as it was a second ago ;)

If this story was like a play, with a bunch of acts, this is the start of act 2. It'll get kinda fluffy at parts (not this chapter), but then there's the obviously obvious unexpected plot twist(s!).

The song in this chapter is _Learn to Fly _by _The Foo Fighters._

**Teenage Kicks**

Your best friend is dating the love of your life. Your secretly dating the object of your other best friend's affections. You're going through a personal hell and everyone's out to get you. But hey, that's High School for you!

Roxas' head bowed slowly as he lost his fight against sleep. Cruising at an altitude of 46,000 feet, he succumbed to the darkness. Finally, after all the clutter and commotion of the last few days he was asleep. Peace and quiet at last.

"Ahem!" Roxas' eyes shot open, startled. He lifted his head slowly to see he was using Riku as his own personal pillow. He smiled nervously as he sat up straight on his chair. Why was he always stuck with the aisle seat?

"You can use me as a pillow if you want; Kairi's already using my other shoulder." Riku tilted his head slightly, indicating for Roxas to look. Roxas leaned forward to see a mess of red hair seemingly emerging from Riku's shoulder, attached to a girl's body.

"Na man, it's cool." Roxas declined. "How did the whole you virtually babysitting Denzel Strife go anyway?"

"Pretty good, kids a bit fucked up to be honest, a bit out there, you know?" Roxas nodded. "Runs in the family I suppose."

"Ah, cool." Roxas stared forwards blankly, fidgeting in his pockets for a moment until he pulled out a pair of white earphones, he placed them in his ears before closing his eyes.

_Run and tell all of the angels _  
_This could take all night _  
_Think I need a devil to help me get things right _  
_Hook me up a new revolution _  
_Cause this one is a lie _  
_We sat around laughing and watched the last one die _

_And I'm looking to the sky to save me _  
_Looking for a sign of life _  
_Looking for something to help me burn out bright _

_I'm looking for a complication _  
_Looking cause I'm tired of lying _  
_Make my way back home when I learn to fly _

_I think I'm done nursing patience _  
_It couldn't wait one night _  
_I'd give it all away if you give me one last try _  
_We'll live happily ever trapped if you just save my life _  
_Run and tell the angels that everything is alright... _

_I'm looking to the sky to save me _  
_Looking for a sign of life _  
_Looking for something to help me burn out bright _

_I'm looking for a complication _  
_Looking cause I'm tired of trying _  
_Make my way back home when I learn to fly _  
_Make my way back home when I learn to _

_Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone _  
_Try to make this life my own _

_Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone _  
_Try to make this life my own _

_I'm looking to the sky to save me _  
_Looking for a sign of life (sign of life) _  
_Looking for something to help me burn out bright _

_I'm looking for a complication _  
_Looking cause I'm tired of trying (tired of trying) _  
_Make my way back home when I learn to _

_And I'm looking to the sky to save me _  
_Looking for a sign of life (sign of life) _  
_Looking for something to help me burn out bright _

_I'm looking for a complication _  
_Looking cause I'm tired of trying _  
_Make my way back home when I learn to fly_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"It's about 12 and a half hours after the stop at LAX apparently, and that was what, about two hours ago?" Namine sat up, looking at Sora, who was fixated on the book in front of him.

"Hmm." He answered, still emerged in his book.

"Whatcha reading?" Namine asked him, desperate to start a conversation.

"Some book Riku gave me." Sora answered monotonously.

"Oh, right." Namine sighed. "Guess I'll just entertain myself then." She sat, twiddling her fingers as she scanned the emergency instructions that were messily taped onto the seat in front of her. After minutes had passed, Sora stood up swiftly, placing the book face down on his seat. He motioned to her to let him pass, still sustaining his near silence. She frowned as she saw him saunter towards the back of the plane. Turning, she noticed the book Sora was reading. Hesitating momentarily, she picked it up and began to scan through it.

"Nosy." Namine jumped in shock.

"It isn't nice to sneak up on people, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just that Roxas and Kairi are both out for the count so I thought I'd stretch my legs for a bit."

"Ah," Namine turned so that she was face to face with Riku. "Looking forwards to this?" She asked him.

"Well, to be honest, no." Riku admitted. "I'm like the only person here who isn't either a Junior, doing some shit subject involving the Russians, or in the soccer team. I'm an outcast man." Riku laughed.

"Aw, don't say that." Namine pouted slightly, "You've got me, Rox, Sora, Kai' and, well, everyone." She grinned.

"So, how are and Sora doing, anyways?"

"Good," She nodded. "I think I've finally got him in my grasp!"

"Ha, that's good to hear."

"How about you and Kai'?"

"Well, It's actually okay. The choir incident seems to have died down a bit. But, it's a ticking timebomb, one false move, bang!" They continued their idle chit chat for around twenty minutes, when they were disturbed by Sora walking down the aisle. "Oh, hey bud'." Riku smiled. No response. Sora leaned between the two of them, rummaging around in his bag. He withdrew two small boxes and a bottle, its contents rattling as he raised it out of the bag. He walked slowly over to Roxas and whispered something in his ear. His blond friend acknowledged him, waving his hand as Sora made his way back to the back of the plane.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Namine asked, confused.

"I dunno." Riku replied. "But I'm gonna find out." He walked over to Roxas, who's eyes were firmly shut. "Roxas." Riku sighed. "Roxas!" He shook Roxas till he open his eyes.

"Wha- What?" Roxas asked, dazed and confused.

"What were they boxes?"

"'Those' boxes were, well, boxes."

"Ha, fucking funny!" Riku growled, grabbing Roxas by the throat.

"I-I dunno!" Roxas gasped for air. Kairi, who had awoken from her slumber, looked on in shock.

"Riku!" She squealed. "What the fuck are you doing?" She pulled Riku's arms from Roxas.

"Sora's away into the toilet with a shit load of pills, I think, and_ this_ fucker knows something about it!" Riku answered, his face strewn with anger. Kairi stood up, muttering slightly as she began dusting herself off. She somewhat clumsily avoided Roxas legs as she walked out onto the aisle before walking up to the back to where Sora allegedly was. Nerve stricken, she trudged slowly up to the back of the plane, kicking out any thoughts of Sora OD-ing that paraded through her head. She stood in front of the toilet door, looking back to see both Roxas and Riku looking directly at her. She breathed in slowly, before knocking on the door.

Nothing.

She knocked again.

Again, nothing.

"Sora?" She asked wearily. A few seconds later, the door opened slightly, and Sora looked out at her.

"Sup, Kairi?" He grinned the fakest smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, her nerves subsiding, somewhat.

"Just taking what the doctor gave me. I need them to stop my head from getting really fucking sore, apparently." He explained.

"'Because of the crash, right?"

"Aye." Sora nodded.

"This looks really wrong," She groaned before stepping in to the toilet with him.

"Yeah, and this looks a _whole_ lot better!"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

**Russia.**

Population, 141,927,297.

Largest city, Moscow.

Situated in Eastern Europe.

Currency, the Russian ruble.

Hosted the 1980 Olympics.

**The Destiny Islands.**

Population, 51,967.

Largest (only) city, Destiny City.

Situated 128 miles south of the Channel Islands, California.

Currency, the US dollar.

Hosted a talent show one year, that got stopped halfway through though, for reasons that you can know when the time is right.

And since I kept you guys waiting so long, here's _another_ set of teasers, but I think these ones are going to be a bit more WTF? to you than the previous ones...

"Namine... what's happening to me?"  
"Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi." The disgruntled redhead answered, writing a mental note to slap Namine for not telling the boy at the other side of the phone she had gone.  
"Kairi... I know you. You're that girl he likes." The boy laughed at the other side of the line, before squealing at the top of his lungs, apologizing to someone who was with him.  
"Who? Please, a name!" Kairi begged, she heard muffed chatter down the other end of the line. It subsided as he coughed, presumably signalling for the others to be quiet.  
"You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi." A different voice laughed gently, although it was unrecognizable, she was sure she had heard it before.  
**"**Huh?" She responded, blankly.  
**"**Okay." He sighed. "I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'!"

**24/03/2010 Updated 21/10/10**


	20. The Little Moments Mean Everything

Review dudes, Review! :)

The song, it kind of sums almost everything up so far for Sora, no?

The song in this chapter is _Dirty Little Secret _by _The All-American Rejects._

So here I am, standing in what can only be described as some sort of war-torn Russian backwater, freezing my ass off in a short sleeved soccer jersey at 15°. Fahrenheit that is, it's -9° Celsius.

Oh and I'm giving everyone the silent treatment. Well, I _was_.

Teeth chattering rhythmically, arms huddled around myself for warmth, I looked around at all my classmates. Roxas was talking to Selphie, probably conjuring up some sort of evil plan for World- well, class domination. Tidus and Wakka were arguing over the fact that the vibrations were the thing that gave Wakka a boner on the plane, and not his closeness to the blond, apparently. And then there was Riku, his arms shielding Kairi from the elements as he conversed with Mr. Katzroy, my History teacher.

Something about a broken down bus, yadda. yadda, yadda. I don't give a shit, honestly.

Pashol tae. That's what I say. The Russian guy who lives down the street taught me that one. Very apt for Riku at the moment. Christ, what a douche bag.

I shouldn't be here. And I shouldn't be here wearing a t-shirt and jeans either!

"Hey!" I turned to see Namine looking slightly upwards at me, and I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's the cold atmosphere, but whatever it is, it's drawing me to Namine like a fly to a light. And I hate it. I fucking hate it. It should be Roxas and Namine, not Sora and Namine. I really do feel like such a prick, my best friend is in love with this girl, and I'm... Well, I'm using her. Yet no matter how artificial our relationship is, it's really starting to feel... real.

And I'm not saying that because I'm having sex with her or anything like that. There's nothing like that there, at all. It's like one of those teenage flings, where you're both young and just feel like time stops when you're together. We're like Danny and Sandy. Except I don't have the queer hair do, there's no leather involved and it's way past the summer now.

I digress. I looked down at Namine, quickly looking around one last time to make sure there wasn't anyone looking at us, before kissing her lightly on the lips, smiling.

"Look, Nam'. I'm really sorry about that earlier on, yeah? I'm just not in the best of moods, you know and I was just trying to focus on, well, nothing." I apologized to her.

"It's okay." She smiled. I breathed a sigh of relief. We both turned as Mr Katzroy called on the group. In front of him was a small, slightly rustic open-top bus. It looked like a compacted double decker bus with no roof on it. I groaned as I realized what this meant: We'll all be up the top.

And rightly so, after a good twenty minutes of successfully navigating everyone's luggage through the broken, semi ajar bus door, we were all crowded around on the top of the bus, the wind blustering directly into our faces. Roxas, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Zell, Irvine and myself had elected to lean over the front railing at the top of the bus. We all stood in silence, which must have been a laugh for the locals, seeing a bunch of brooding teenage American boys with one happy-go-lucky girl in amongst them. I stared straight forward; the grey sky loomed menacingly over the dark trees, their leaves blowing furiously below them. This whole place just seems really... grey.

I promised Namine, and Roxas, that I'd explain the whole business with my pills and shit, like I had with Kairi previously in the airplane toilet. We talked.

That's all.

Here we were, thinking that it'd only be a wee short drive to the lodgings. Not quite.

Five hours. Five fucking hours!

The bus-coach-thing slowly chugged its way up a rather steep, snow coated incline, the wind no longer howling in our faces.

"It's just coming up, on the left!" Mr Katzroy exclaimed. Here we go, I bet you it's some sort of rundown, derelict housing scheme-esque building, with bars on the windows, and rats in my bed. Or not!

As we reached the top of the hill we saw a pretty little log cabin. We'll, not little. It was the size of a large house, most likely built with group expeditions in mind. It's timber shell was blanketed in soft white snow, flames licking the sides of the lanterns situated around it.

"Krasnaya Polyana" Roxas smiled, trying to sound as Russian as possible. I turned to him, with the sole intent of ribbing him.

"Say, Rox'. Bring any condoms?" I asked him, trying to keep a straight face. He was taken aback.

"Huh?" Was all he could muster.

"I mean, we're in Russia, and I don't fancy loads of wee Russian-Roxies running around now, do you?" I asked, feigning sincerity.

"Now that you mention it..."

"Don't worry man, if you need one, I'll sort you out." I assured him.

"Thanks, bud'." He grinned.

"10$, each."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Mr Katzroy, or 'Big Sazh' as me and Namine now labelled him, had taken us inside, introduced us to some cool Russian dude, then sorted us out into our rooms. He made the requirements pretty clear: Two to a room, same sex only. Much to the shagrin of Riku, but not so much to Kairi, as far as I could see. Then again maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see.

So here I am, sitting on the side of my bed, my head in my hands. The door opened slowly, and I lifted my head up to see my roommate saunter in, in nothing other than a towel.

"Lighten up, Sora." He smiled at me. I grunted acknowledging.

"Listen, I might have some girls around here at some point. You down with that?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I answered. Girls?

"And I know you're wondering who I mean. And no, I don't mean Kairi, let me tell you Sora, that's been one tough lock to pick." I sighed inwardly as he continued. "But if me and Kai' come in here for a bit of the ol' rumpy pumpy, you okay with that?"

"Of course I am." The sarcasm just dripped of my voice. Why the hell am I sharing a dorm with this guy?

"Look man, I'm really sorry. I tell you what, stick a coat on, and let's go down for a wee pint, eh?" Riku suggested.

"Riku, I'm 15."

"Yeah, well, doesn't stop you from drinking on the Islands, does it? Naw. And the legal age back home is 19, it's 18 here, plus, I dare say you'll be somewhat more attractive to the girls in these parts than your run-of-the-mill six foot four pug-ugly balding, toothless hardman, eh?"

"Hm..." I couldn't help but smile. I hate hating Riku.

"Tell you what, lets jump down the shops, amaze them with our fake ID's, and throw a little party in the room here, aye?" I looked around. The room was massive, big enough for the lot of us to crowd in for a party? Definitely.

"Yeah okay. And if that fails?"

"We send Kairi. You remember our little code? Once they ge-"

"Once they get tits, they get served, yeah." I laughed. despite the somewhat sexist connotations.

Two hours later, and here I am, standing in the middle of our once tidy dorm. Everyone who was here with the school were crammed in. Music was blaring from my iPod dock, all sorts of alcoholic beverages flowing. Roxas was dealing cards to Zell, Wakka and Irvine. Hey, isn't gambling against the Muslim religion?

I turned to see Riku being dragged out of the room, by a girl who's face I couldn't see. Kairi. My heart sank as my eyes darted around the room, looking for Kairi. No sign of her. I sighed, walking over to sit down on my bed.

"Ah!" I heard a muffled scream as I landed on my bed. I jumped and turned to see Kairi peeking her head out from under my duvet.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I laughed.

"Preventing myself from getting drunk." She smiled.

"Nice plan. Sorry 'bout the squashing."

"No worries." She then did something I definitely did not expect. She pulled the covers up, and motioned for me to come under. I hesitated, looking for Namine. She was chatting with Roxas, laughing away. I quickly climbed over Kairi to the other side of the bed. "What are you doing?" She snorted slightly as she laughed.

"Making sure nobody sees me." I admitted as I plunged under the covers. I closed my eyes, jumping slightly as I felt Kairi's breath against my face. I opened my eyes, vaguely able to make out Kairi in the darkness. "This is new." I grinned.

"Yeah." She giggled. I struggled to think of any words to say. "I like new."

"I thought..." I gulped. "I thought you said, 'Don't ever change'." Her eyes glistened slightly.

"Yeah, well, you haven't changed." She whispered. "I-We, we have."

"Hm..." I quickly tried to change the conversation. "Do you remember that time, when we were kids, with the flowers?"

"Hm?"

"The petals."

"Oh yeah." She smiled slightly.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Sora and Kairi sat together on the damp grass, their backs up against an old stone wall, a large crack in the wall between them. Sora picked a daisy from the grass, and handed it to Kairi._

_"Pour vous." He smiled. She proceded to pick her own daisy, before handing it to Sora._

_"Likewise." She grinned at him._

_One by one Sora picked at the petals, catching the sight of Kairi doing the same in the corner of his eye._

_"She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not."_

_"He loves me, He loves me not. He loves me, He loves me not."_

_Sora flicked the petals away, to an extent where they were now littering the ground around him as he plucked away at the petal. Closer and closer towards the answer. He loved her. She loved him. _

_Not._

_"Do you really believe in these silly things?" Sora asked her as he counted the petals lying around him. Kairi shrugged, plucking another petal from its body. "I mean, it's just a flower. It doesn't know, does it."_

_Kairi smiled weakly, not looking at Sora. She kept picking nevertheless. Sora looked back to his almost bare daisy. He kept going too._

_Both pairs of bare legs were blanketed in tiny white petals._

_"What did you get?" Sora asked her, a blank expression on his face. He was holding his bare daisy._

_"What did you get?" She asked, clutching at the mirror of his own daisy._

_They looked at the petals amassed below them and then to the bare stems and finally to each other, their eyes locked._

_"Not."_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Sora looked into Kairi's eyes, noticing she was verging on tears.

He put his hand up on her cheek. "It's a happy memory Kai'."

"How is that a happy memory?" she asked him, bewildered.

"Because I got... I got to spend it with you."

"Aww." a tear rolled down Kairi's face.

"Kairi. I want you to make me a promise. Okay." She nodded. " I want you to promise that no matter what happens, no matter what becomes of us, that you never forget times like that. The little moments, they mean everything."

"I really miss you, Sora." She admitted. This time it was Sora's turn to be confused. "I mean, with me and Riku. We just aren't the same."

"Why? Why can't we be the same?" Sora blurted.

"I guess... I guess you could be my dirty little secret." Kairi grinned mischievously.

"'Who has to know?'"

_Let me know that I've done wrong,_  
_When I've known this all along,_  
_I go around a time or two,_  
_Just to waste my time with you._

_Tell me all that you've thrown away,_  
_Find out games you don't wanna play,_  
_You are the only one that needs to know-_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret,_  
_(Dirty little secret)_  
_Don't tell anyone or you`ll be just another regret,_  
_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_  
_My dirty little secret,_  
_Who has to know?_

_When we live such fragile lives,_  
_It's the best way we survive,_  
_I go around a time or two,_  
_Just to waste my time with you,_

_Tell me all that you've thrown away,_  
_find out games you don't wanna play,_  
_you are the only one that needs to know-_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret,_  
_(Dirty little secret)_  
_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret,_  
_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_  
_My dirty little secret._

_Who has to know?_  
_The way she feels inside (inside!)_  
_Those thoughts I can't deny (can't deny!)_  
_These sleeping thoughts won't lie (won't lie!)_  
_And all I've tried to hide_  
_It's eating me apart_  
_Trace this life back!_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret,_  
_(Dirty little secret)_  
_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret._  
_(Just another regret)_

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret,_  
_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret,_  
_(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)_  
_**My dirty little secret,**_  
_Dirty little secret,_  
_Dirty little secret._

_Who has to know?_  
_**Who has to know?**_

**29/03/2010 Updated 21/10/10**


	21. Evasive Action

I'd give you the typical 'more reviews = more updates' spiel, but I can't be bothered.

And my documents manager decided to delete this chapter, which was just great.

I actually know where this story is going now, like 99%, which helps. I've already written the first four chapters of a sequel! Now, if I ever get round to posting that on the other hand, is a different matter entirely

Teenage Kicks: Contains mild references to sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll! Seriously though. Mild sexual references and mild to strong language, as well as references to alcohol and drugs. Nothing that wouldn't be out of place in a 15 rated movie in England. ;)

The song in this chapter is _Can't Stop, Gotta Date With Hate _by _Lostprophets._

You know how people use the phrase, "getting thrown in at the deep end"?

Well, that just about sums up my Sophomore year. Right from the get-go. Quite literally, too.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, well, at least the first fifteen minutes of it anyway!

Then my best friends, who are a right pair of twats, thought it'd be funny to chuck me into a fountain. That was just lovely. And then Roxas pranged the Ford a few miles out of Summerview, and that really fucked me up. I can't even write my name properly, for Christ sake! And my Mom got taken into hospital too, but she's feeling better now.

Then my bud, Tidus, came out the closet. Major shocker. Good for him, though. I'd just wish his best friend would be more tolerant. In a perfect world, maybe.

On the subject of perfect, there's only one thing, to me anyways, which sums up the word.

Kairi.

Her radiant red hair, her glowing cyan eyes, her perfect face, her lovely smile, here nice boo- you get the idea. But she had to choose Riku. My best friend. What does he have that I don't? Except maybe the looks, the bulging abs, the quick wit, the charm, the money... I could go on.

And then there's Nam. She's awesome, really. And I have feelings for her. I just don't know what those feelings are right now.

This year's been a total fuck up' I fucked up with Kai'. I fucked up my schoolwork. I fucked up playing football.

Fuck my life.

So here I am now, eyes barely opening upon my command, light beginning to flow slightly through the thin red curtains that adorned the rails above the window. I looked at my watch, 6:49. _Great._ I lifted the duvet cover slightly to get up, only for it to be pulled back down away from me. Puzzled, I rubbed my eyes before looking beneath the covers in front of me. A mess of red hair greeted me, covering a face buried into my chest.

_Oh, fuck!_

**Teenage Kicks**

My eyes darted across the room towards Riku's bed. There he lay, strewn across the frame of the bed, appendages dangling over the edges of the bed. His head was covered by a pillow placed over it. I decided that there was only one course of action I could take; evasive action.

I pulled the duvet cover up over me at the side that met the wall, before rising quickly and taking what could only be described as an over-exaggerated leap of faith, clearing Kairi and the bed frame in the process. Unfortunately, I heard Riku begin to stir. Panicking, I decided to dart out of the room as quickly as possible. Quietly shutting the door, I began to scan the doors along the corridor. Which one was Rox' in? I took a guess, knocking mutely upon one of the doors before slowly pushing it open. My eyes scanned the room for Roxas. Instead, they found a small teddy bear holding a love heart, a pink hairdryer and various types of makeup on the bedside cabinet. This wasn't Roxas' room, at least I hoped it wasn't. I retreated slowly, beginning to pull the door shut.

"Hey there, _big boy._" A tired voice slowly broke the silence. I froze on the spot. Do I go back in, or do I run away... again? I decided to take the first option, and opened the door once more. I was confronted by Selphie sitting up in her bed. She was dressed in all yellow pajamas. Figures. "Watcha doin' sneaking around at this time of the morning?" She asked me. I stood there, not saying anything. "Are you looking for some loving from Selphie?" I swear she purred when she said that.

"No." I stammered slightly.

"Oh really?" She pressed. "Then why are you coming in here dressed like _that_?" I looked down at what I was wearing. I'd been too tired to notice that I was only wearing boxers! And not the biggest pair at that.

"Do you know what room Roxas is in?" I asked her.

"Oh, so you swing _that_-a-way?" She frowned. "Three along to the right."

"Thanks." I smiled, waving slightly as I turned to leave the room.

"Hey, don't you leave before giving me a hug!" I turned to see her sitting up, now with the duvet completely off of her, her arms stretched out wide.

God this is gonna be awkward.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Is that cool?" Sora lent against the Stanchion of the bunk bed, looking across at Roxas who was lying in his bed, looking slightly angry as a result of being woken from his slumber.

"Yeah, yeah. You slept in here last night, gotcha." Roxas murmured.

"Thanks buddy, where's Zell?" Sora questioned the absence of Roxas roomate.

"he is, and I quote with the utmost sincerity, 'away to get some fuckin' Russian poontang'. And hotdogs.'"

"I see." Sora nodded.

"Yeah... Actually Sora, can I ask you something?" Roxas asked.

"You just did." Sora smirked.

"Don't start that Kairi Shaw bullshit. Why am I looking at you at," he checked his phone, "7.14 in the morning in your boxers, so blatantly trying to disguise the fact that you have a stalk on?"

"Huh?"

"A b-o-n-e-r Sora. A boner. Why?"

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes! You woke me up! Now sing, canary!" Roxas commanded.

"Um, well I actually went into Seph's room by accident while looking for you. I was still half asleep, and I didn't realize that I was in my boxers. Anyway, she told me where your dorm is, but wouldn't let me go till I gave her a hug. On her bed. In my underwear." The brunette explained.

"Wouldn't let you leave? Did she forcefully stop you?"

"No, well, you know what I mean!"

"Hmm. Since Tidus came out the closet man, I think she likes you! And seeing as you and Kairi are well, dead on the water-sorry man. You should totally go for it." Roxas smirked. "That Tilmitt's a horny lil' bitch, I'll tell you that." He laughed at Sora.

"So..." Sora tried to change the subject, "You ready for Skiing?"

"Can't wait!" Roxas beamed.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Remind me again. What exactly does this have to do with history?" Selphie clung on to Sora's shoulders as they trudged through the snow. Sora slowly pulled the zip up and down on his blood red Parka, trying to stop his mind from wandering.

"Just think of it as more of a break for the people studying History, and whatever else people who are here are sitting."

"And the people who are on your soccer team!" She reminded him.

"That to." Sora nodded.

"D'ya know who I haven't saw around?" Selphie asked.

"Hmm?" Sora turned and looked at her, trying not to laugh at her puffy, banana colored jacket.

"Seifer." Sora though for a second. He hadn't seen Seifer really either. He looked around, surveying the different people in the group.

Roxas, who was walking up beside Namine, with Riku lagging slightly behind them. Kairi, who was seemingly glaring daggers at him every time he turned to face her. Zell, Irvine and all those guys from the football team. Except Seifer.

"Odd, isn't it?" They continued to walk up towards the ski center, where they would get their equipment before taking the ski lift to the top. When Selphie wasn't looking, Sora slipped his earphones in and began listening to his iPod. She had insisted he hadn't on the walk up, so that they could have 'a little chat'. That never happened.

About eight or nine minutes later, they reached the ski center. It was pretty quiet, with the majority of the people who were there staff who worked at the center. They stood in line, one by one going to collect skis and stocks from the storage room, before putting on the salopettes provided.

"Why the fuck do I get stuck with pink ones?" Sora groaned as he emerged from the changing room wearing a pear of bright pink snow pants. Roxas and Namine howled in laughter, only for Sora to respond by flipping the two of them off.

"That's enough, Sora." Mr Katzroy scolded Sora. "Now, due to weight restrictions, it's two to a carriage. Now, I want you to be on your be- What is it Riku?" he asked the silver haired boy.

"Are these single sex only too?" A few people sniggered, but not to the level that a visibly irked Riku would have liked.

"Very funny Riku. Now, as I was saying. I want you all on your best behaviour. Remember you are a representative of the school. And make sure you have fun!" He smiled and stepped aside from the entrance to the ski lift, allowing access to the students. In pairs they began to enter the carriages; Tidus and Wakka, Zell and Irvine, Namine and Roxas. Selphie walked towards where Riku and Kairi were standing.

"Is it okay if I talk to you, in private? It's about 'you-know-what.'" She asked him. Riku quickly explained the situation to Kairi, who nodded in approval. Together, Selphie and Riku entered the next carriage.

Kairi sighed, before walking alone towards the waiting point for the ski lift.

She waited for a few minutes, before boarding the next available pod. She sat down on the bench, facing forwards ready to depart. She looked out the door to see the man who was working the machine signalling for someone to come. Moments later Sora stepped into the pod, slouching down on the opposite side of the pod, facing towards Kairi, although he looked down at his feet.

The mechanism running the ski lift ground loudly above them, causing the carriage to begin to ascend up the mountain.

Silence filled the carriage as neither of the teenagers spoke. Sora lent his head against the side window, looking down at the snow beneath them as they moved slowly up the hill. He laughed slightly as he saw someone beneath him badly mistime a turn which caused them to go bundling down the hill.

Kairi looked up, stealing quick glances at the brunette as she slowly stroked her crimson hair. Sora noticed this, but decided not to press the matter, as he didn't know why she was so upset with him, and he didn't want to start a fight.

He closed his eyes, almost drifting to sleep as he listened to his iPod.

_Her eyes are open like a book_  
_Her fingers stroke her hair to look_  
_A moment feels so out of place_  
_This will left standing in disgrace_  
_Paint your fingernails at night_  
_Style you hair in the bathroom light_  
_Hatred never looked this good_  
_Whoever thought it could_

_I don't wanna wait or leave it up to fate_  
_'cause I just wanna watch you all night_  
_Screaming_  
_End it, you're gone and_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._  
_End it, you're gone and_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._  
_End_

_One kiss those lips could never lie_  
_But I know something isn't right_  
_Don't be fooled my friends aside_  
_'cause I see nothing in those eyes_  
_All said and done_  
_This won't be fun_  
_Make no mistake_  
_Those smiles are fake_

_Don't wanna wait or leave it up to fate_  
_'cause I just wanna watch you all night_  
_Screaming_  
_End it, you're gone and_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._  
_End it, you're gone and,_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._  
_End_

_But believe me, I know it will always be moving_  
_I know we could find a key_

_End it, you're gone and_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._  
_End it, you're gone and_  
_Don't you wake me up, I don't want this dream to..._

_All the times that we suffered this before_  
_Never once did you ever close that door_  
_All the make up cannot hide the fact_  
_That you're gone and you're never coming back._

Sora's musically induced slumber was interrupted however by a large groan that was emitted from the machinery above them that operated the ski lift as the carriage ground to a halt. Sora's eyes shot open, and he looked up at Kairi, who mirrored his action.

But the silence within the cabin remained.

Sora groaned, punching his fist against the window.

"What were the odds of this, huh?" Sora stood up, looking out of the window at the snow below them.

"Odds of what? This rusty piece of shit breaking down?" Kairi watched him as he looked outside.

"No, of me and you getting stuck up here together."

"Well, there's what, 20 students here, so that's about, say, 380 different possible combinations of pupils in the ski-lift together."

"That's not what I mean." Sora sighed. "What's with the hostility towards me, Kai'?" Sora banged his fist against the glass before Kairi could respond. "Looks like we could be up here a while."

"I'm not being hos- I - Where were you this morning?" she questioned him.

Sora laughed slightly. "I was in the lodge, Kai."

"That's not what I mean. Where were you when I woke up? Because Nam' told me that she saw you coming out of Selphie's room in your boxers."

Sora grinned. "This is what this is all about? Really Kairi? Really?" He repeated. "I woke up, with you, if you need reminding. I looked across the room to see your boyfriend lying asleep. Imagine his reaction if he found the pair of us in my bed."

"But that doesn't explain why you were in Selphie's room." her interrogation continued.

"I was looking for Roxas." Sora admitted. "I was looking for Roxas so we would have an alibi, albeit a false one, in case Riku found you in my bed. I never went into details, just that I crashed in his room. Is that okay?"

"I'm sorry." Kairi looked down at her feet.

"It's alright." Sora forgave her. She looked up at him and smiled.

Minutes passed, 44 to be exact, before Sora decided he'd had enough. He pulled on the carriage doors, causing them to separate slightly. He then placed his foot between the two doors, pushing them away from each other. Kairi looked on in horror as he lent over the edge of the now open carriage, surveying the drop below them.

"It's about twenty five feet, I'd say. But we're right next to one of the stanchions holding the wires up, and it has a ladder down." He motioned for her to come towards him. She stood up, somewhat unwillingly as her knees wobbled fiercely as she covered the short distance between the two of them. "Take my hand." He held his hand out as he continued to look downwards.

"Sora. This could be up and running in five minutes."

"It could also take five hours." Sora pointed out. She entwined her fingers in his as he stepped back and guided her across to the ladder, which she gripped with her free hand before swinging her leg round onto the ladder. "Well done." Sora smiled. "Now just do the same with your other leg."

Kairi tried to bring her other leg round, but it wouldn't budge. "I- I can't." She sighed. Sora giggled.

"Do you want me to lift you or something?" He asked her, slightly sarcastically. He was taken aback when she nodded timidly, but made good of his offer. He picked up their ski gear and dropped it onto the snowy incline below them. He then lifted her slowly over to the ladder, which she clung onto with both hands.

"Th-thanks." She breathed out heavily.

"No prob." Sora waited for her to begin to descend the ladder, before breathing in slowly. The cold Russian air bit sharply at his lungs as he stretched out to grab onto the ladder. At that moment, however, the ski lift carriage began to move, jolting slightly with a large bang. Sora grimaced slightly as he lost his balance, closing his eyes as he realized he was falling through the air.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Sora?" Kairi squealed as she hurried down the ladder, before running through the snow to where Sora was lying. "Are you alright?" She panicked.

"Ouch." Sora laughed slightly as he tried to sit up, slumping back onto the ground as he failed to do so.

"Do you want me to go get somebody?" Kairi asked.

"Everyone's on the ski lift which... still isn't moving." Sora looked up at the ski lift directly above him. It was in the same stationary state it was when he was still on it.

"Yeah, it budged a little, and I guess that knocked you off." Kairi told him, crouched down beside his face, her hand against his cheek.

"I just winded myself, I think. Here, help me up." Sora put his hand up, prompting Kairi to take it. She hoisted him up to his feet. He lent against her, catching his breath. "Let's go back to the lodge, eh? Maybe they haven't even realized were down here." Kairi nodded, lifting up the skis that Sora had tossed down. "I'll take those." Sora quickly grabbed them off her, beginning to walk slowly down the hill beside her.

They talked with each other on the trek back to the lodge, which would have taken considerably less time than the walk in the previous direction, had Sora not been wincing and wheezing the whole way, refusing to let Kairi carry their equipment.

Kairi smiled as they finally approached the wooden lodgings, motioning for Sora to 'dump the ski's and shit' around the corner of the cabin, before the two of them walked in the front door.

They emerged in a large hall. It was quite dark, with red furnishings complimenting the timber decor. Sora looked around quickly, before smiling. They were the only ones here.

**20/4/10 Updated 21/10/10**


	22. You're Not Like Me

_**Your best friend is dating the love of your life. Your secretly dating the object of your other best friend's affections. You're going through a personal hell and everyone's out to get you. But hey, that's High School for you! SK RK SN RN etc.**_

Sorry it's so late, and even then it's short and rushed: World Cup, Graduation, Prom... been kinda busy :D.

To anyone who's asked me in a review to read their story, I will. Promise :)

A) I know there are plenty of stupid mistakes in past chapters, I'll get round to fixing them all eventually.

B) What the hell have Nintendo done to Zelda? :O

C) Wee surprise at the end for you guys.

D) Review lol

E) Song was random, but overall it _kinda_ fits.

Just noticed it's a year exactly since I first posted this. That's super...

The song in his chapter is _Bad Romance _by _Lady Gaga._

"So," Sora turned to the Kairi who appeared to be deep in thought. "What do you wanna do?" He asked her.

"Um," The redhead pondered the thought momentarily before an enthusiastic smile lit up her face. "Let's go exploring!" Sora laughed as she grabbed his arm, dragging him through the complex.

"So, is this gonna be like some two-person, totally mature pantie raid of our fellow students? Or something more-" Sora questioned her.

"'Something more!'" She cut him off, dragging along the red carpet to where the corridors halved in two; leftwards to the dorms, and somewhere else to the right. Kairi tugged on Sora's arm, before taking the route to the right.

"What do you think we'll find?" Sora asked her.

"No idea, to be honest." Kairi grinned as she continued to lead him through the hallways.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"So, what do you think?" I asked as we trudged through the snow. The air in front of my mouth crystallized as I spoke.

"Think about what?" Namine turned to me. I chose to continue facing forward as I walked, instead of turning to face her.

"Snow? After all, you did tell me you'd never saw it before."

"Oh my God, I hadn't even thought about it!" She squealed, waving her arms up and down ecstatically.

"Calm down, Namine." I said, somewhat more sternly than I had hoped.

"You're nothing but a big... Meanie!" She pouted before running off in front of me. I shook my head, grinning slightly, before pushing my silver hair away from my eyes and chasing her through the snow.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Kairi!" Sora sighed. He was crouched over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"Yes Sora honey?" Kairi floated past, fluttering her eyes at him, causing his stomach to turn.

"Um, why don't we do something else? We've been at this for hours and found sweet fuck all." He pleaded.

"Five more minutes?" Kairi asked him. She knew deep down that there was no chance he would say no.

"Fine!" Sora laughed as he yawned before picking up his pace to catch up with Kairi who was already a few meters ahead of him. She scanned the corridors with her eyes as she walked, taking in each and every detail. She jumped slightly when she heard a vibration. She turned to face Sora, who was standing using his phone. _So that explains the vibration_, she thought to herself. "You go on ahead," Sora told her, his eyes fixated on his phone. "I'll catch up."

"Okay-Dokey." Kairi smiled before skipping off down the corridor, leaving Sora standing on his own. He looked at his cell, laughing slightly as he read the text he had received.

_I know you're somewhere with Kairi BTW, I saw your 'great' escape from the skilifts :L Won't tell anyone tho. Don't get up to any funny business -Rox._

He was about to place his phone back in his pocket, when it vibrated once more. He looked at the screen again; Roxas had sent another message.

_Remember, No Russian! :P x_

Sora smiled again at his friends Call of Duty reference as he returned his phone to his pocket. He then began to walk down the corridor in the direction Kairi had travelled. Along both sides were doors, not unlike those on the left wing of the building. From this he guessed that they must be more dorms. He walked past door after door until he reached the end of the corridor. There was a door on the right that was slightly ajar, and an older, darker looking one right in front of him. Assuming Kairi had entered the door to the right, he opened the door in front of him_. _His eyes lit up as he saw the contents of what turned out to be a large cupboard. "Kairi, come here and see this!" He called. After a few moments, her voice rung out of the room on the right.

"I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment, what is it?" She inquired.

"Let's just say, these Russians really like their Vodka."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Roxas paused to catch his breath as he looked down the gigantic white slope that lay in front of him. The cold October wind blew the small tufts of fur on his hood in varying directions. He grimaced when he felt a clod mass of snow exploding upon his left cheek. He turned to see Selphie standing, laughing at him. "Whatthuvuckwazthatfur?" He breathed out quickly.

"Eh?" Selphie giggled. "You have to talk a little slower, Roxy!"

"I," He breathed in slowly. "I said, What the fuck was that for?"

"You were daydreaming." Selphie grinned. "Daydreaming about a girl, per chance?" She teased.

"What? No!" He replied.

"Ahhh!" Selphie looked at him, and he knew she was onto something. "Is it Kairi?"

"God no!" Roxas objected.

"Oh course not." Selphie began to think out loud. "Kairi likes Sora, and Roxy knows not to get in the way of roma-"

"Kairi likes Sora?" Roxas picked up on what Selphie had said.

"Whoops." Selphie muttered quietly. "Mooooving onwards, it's me, isn't it?"

"Yes." Roxas revealed quietly, his head bowed as his cheeks became scarlet red.

"Umm..." An awkward silence arose between the potential couple, before Roxas mustered the courage to speak.

"It's your smile. Do something for me, will you? Keep smiling. I-iit makes me happy when you smile."

Selphie was taken aback. "I-I didn't know you felt that way." She stood motionless, close to tears. Silence once more presented itself; at least it did until Roxas began to laugh uncontrollably, pointing at Selphie. "Wait a minute. You mean you were joking?"

"Now, we're even!" He stuck his tongue out at her before fleeing from her as she gave chase.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"No way! You can't be serious." Sora looked at Kairi bewildered as he stood at the entrance of the room.

"Aww. Why not?" She pouted at him.

"Tha- that pouty face doesn't work!" he groaned. Kairi tried to hold the face, but couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"I know, I know! I can't do a 'pouty' face, I get it." She grinned."But I am serious about this."

"But Kairi, it's a freaking hot tub!" Sora pointed at the large basin that Kairi was standing beside.

"So?" She questioned him. "Just put on your swimming costume and relax, dude."

"I don't even have a swimming costume, Kai'." Sora laughed.

"You came on holiday, without a swimming costume?" She asked, feigning shock.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I hardly expected fucking hot tubbing to be on the list of things to do in bloody Russia!"

"Relax, Sora, for God's sake." Kairi pleaded.

"Jeez. Give me a break, Kairi! One minute you're all 'you can be my dirty little secret'." He moaned, his words were hard and gritty, before he began mimicking Kairi's highly pitched voice. "And then the next you're telling Rox' to fuck off. What's with you, Kairi?"

"I-"

"Look." He interrupted her. "I understand that I'm being a prick here, okay? I'm being a massive prick. I get that. Really I do. I'm over-reacting to you over-reacting. But why are you acting like this? This isn't you, at all." His voice softened slightly. "You're better than this Kairi." She looked up at him. His head was bowed. He was angry at himself, she could see that. But she knew that his anger at her was real too. A thousand thoughts raced through her head at once. Should she slap him? Should she kiss him? Her mind conjured up every possible scenario she could think of for that very moment. "You're not like me." She felt a tear burning down her cheek. Ignoring it, she walked over to Sora, before enveloping him into a hug.

"I think we should talk." She whispered quietly into his ear. She jumped slightly as she felt a vibration against her leg.

"That's my cell." Sora revealed. He pulled away from the redhead, before checking his phone; another text from Roxas.

_Whatever you two are getting up to right now. Abort the mission Agent Carmichael. We're about a minute away x_

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"So, when the ski lift stopped the guy who was working it told us just to hang out here till they fixed it." Sora blatantly lied to Sahz when he asked for an explanation.

"All right," Sahz nodded. "But if I find out you're lying?" He pointed at Sora, and then to Kairi. "You dead." Sora grinned as Sahz walked away. He looked around the room, they were back in the main foyer.

"You two need to come, now!" Selphie squealed as she ran up to them.

"Huh?" Sora grunted, causing Kairi to giggle.

"Tidus, Roxas and Wakka just agreed to a game of seven minutes in heaven. So come on!" She revealed.

"Hold on, I thought this was a democracy? Do I not get a say?" Sora asked.

"Of course you do." Selphie smiled.

"I vote no!"

"Ah, well now democracy shines. One no, three yes', sorry Sora. It's heaven time!" She began to push Sora towards the dormitory that they would play it in. As he was being shoved, he noticed Riku talking to Seifer Almasy, who he hadn't seen all trip. Shrugging it off, he gave in to Selphie and began to walk towards the dorm. He allowed the girls to walk in front of him, seeing as Selphie knew which room they were playing in. They finally stopped near the top of the corridor, and Selphie opened the door in front of them.

"Welcome to Chez Moi," Kairi smiled.

"You realize that means 'my house'?" Sora asked.

"Shut up!" She pouted.

"It doesn't work!" Sora reminded her. They walked into the bedroom, which was shared by Kairi and Namine. It was near enough the exact same as Sora and Riku's. Roxas, Wakka, Tidus and Namine all sat on the floor, acknowledging their arrival. "I'll be right back, I gotta go change." Sora looked at Kairi. "Want me to get the-?"

"Yeah." She nodded. Kairi turned and walked towards her friends who were sat on the floor, joining them.

Minutes later, Sora walked back into the room. He was wearing a black T-shirt with some blue glittered Kanji symbols and pink words on it. He was clutching a dark green gym bag, which he tossed to Kairi, before sitting down between Roxas and Tidus.

"Merci." She grinned towards Sora.

"Quit the flirting, guys." Selphie proclaimed, before setting up her iPod dock at the side of the room. As the music began to play from it, she felt the need to explain the rules. "Right here's how this is gonna work: Spin the bottle twice. The two people it lands on will go in there," She pointed to a door at the other side of the room, "for seven minutes. Now, does anyone have a bottle?" She asked, laughing slightly.

_Rah rah ah-ah-ah!_  
_Ro mah ro-mah-mah_  
_Gaga Ooh-la-la!_  
_Want your bad romance_

"You've prepared this so well." Sora groaned. Kairi nodded to Selphie and handed her a full bottle of Vodka from the bag.

_I want your ugly_  
_I want your disease_  
_I want your everything_  
_As long as it's free_  
_I want your love_  
_Love-love-love_  
_I want your love_

_I want your drama_  
_The touch of your hand_  
_I want you leather-studded kiss in the sand_  
_I want your love_  
_Love-love-love_  
_I want your love_  
_Love-love-love_  
_I want your love_

"Ask no questions. Expect no answers." Kairi stated simply. Selphie groaned, before sitting between Wakka and Kairi. She spun the bottle in the center of the circle. It landed at Sora.

_You know that I want you_  
_And you know that I need you_  
_I want it bad_  
_Your bad romance_

_I want your loving_  
_And I want your revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_  
_I want your loving_  
_All your love is revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!_  
_Oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh!_  
_Caught in a bad romance_

"Okay, Sora my boy, you go first!" Selphie gleamed. "And joining you will be." She spun the bottle again. Sora watched closely as the bottle slowed down to a halt, quickly catching Kairi's eyes as she looked up. He looked to whom the red lid of the bottle was facing, and sighed.

_I want your horror_  
_I want your design_  
_'Cause you're a criminal_  
_As long as your mine_  
_I want your love_  
_Love-love-love_  
_I want your love, uhh_

_I want your psycho_  
_Your vertigo stick_  
_Want you in my room_  
_When your baby is sick_  
_Love-love-love_  
_I want your love_

_I want your loving_  
_And I want your revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_  
_I want your loving_  
_All your love is revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_  
_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!_  
_Oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oh!_  
_Caught in a bad romance_

_I want your love_  
_And I want your revenge_  
_I want your love_  
_I don't wanna be friends_

_J'veux ton amour_  
_Et je veux ton revenge_  
_J'veux ton amour_  
_I don't wanna be friends_

_I want your loving_  
_I want your revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_  
_I want your loving_  
_All your love is revenge_  
_You and me could write a bad romance_  
_Want your bad romance _

I promise that the next chapter will be longer, more revealing, and, well, better!

Okay. First anniversary of Teenage Kicks. So here's a little preview for, well, something else. Something very related to **Teenage Kicks**.

**Who would have thought that one night would be the downfall of us all?**

His eyes cracked open slightly, presenting to him a blur of light blues and whites. He groaned slightly as the thudding bass reverberated through whatever he was leaning on and rang profusely around his brain. He felt...  
He felt like he was going to throw up.  
He fired his head to his left, hanging himself over what turned out to be a bathroom sink just in time for virtually everything he had consumed that night to come back up. He coughed hoarsely as he clung onto the sink, trying to rise to his feet. His legs, however, didn't seem to agree with him, buckling as he tried to get to his feet. As his vision began to focus, he looked down at his legs. His jeans were around his ankles, and his belt lying next to him on the floor. What the fuck had happened last night. He slowly rose to his feet, pulling his jeans up to his waist before drunkenly trying to put his belt back on. He looked at the mirror above the vomit ridden sink. In front of him he saw a mess of brunette hair, spiked in each and every direction possible. The once vibrant blue eyes of his reflection in the mirror were now tainted, dulled through stress and a lack of sleep, as well as the influence of whatever he had put inside his body that night. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and had began to dry upon his chin. His white pinstriped shirt was now splattered in crimson red. He sighed, trying to remember what he had done that night. Nothing came to mind. But as for why he did it? The reason remained burned in the center of his brain. Irremovable. Inescapable.

_Kairi._

Grimacing at the mere thought of the girl of his dreams. He fished in his jeans pocket for his cell phone. He struggled with the touchscreen, trying to unlock it. Finally, he successfully gained access to his phone. Noticing he had missed calls from Riku and Roxas, he checked the times of the calls, 23:41 and 01:23. He looked at the clock on his phone. 02:31. They had probably went home by now, as well as most of the other people he knew. He continued on with what he had originally brought his phone out for. He opened his inbox, before sliding his finger down the list of names, reciting each one as he passed it. "Namine, nope. Selph', nope. Zexion, nah. Roxy, nope. Hayner, no. Kai!" His eyes scanned through the message as he tried to take in each and every word, which was easier said than done in his drunken haze. Cursing, he violently pocketed his phone, neglecting to lock the keypad. He looked at the door before turning sharply to the mirror and fixing his collar. He smirked slightly at the irony of his action, before racing to the door, fiddling hopelessly with the lock as he attempted to open it. After a while of seemingly aimless attempts to unlock the door, he finally accomplished it. He swung the door open, only to be confronted with a mass of teenagers, all reveling in the party. He breathed inwards, before he tried to work his way through the crowds as quickly as possible.

"Jesus Christ Valentine you look a right state." He heard a voice, Seifer. He looked up towards the beanie-wearing youth, who, after recognizing the look on his face and the intent in his eyes simply nodded in acknowledgment. Sora then continued to make his way down the stairs and out of the house. The creme walls, adorned with pictures of Cloud Strife, contrasted with the red carpet and furnishings, making him feel sick once more. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he darted into the kitchen and without a second thought he flung himself out of the open window onto the damp grass below. He looked back into the house; nobody had even noticed his method of escape. He stood up dizzily before brushing himself down. He looked out towards the pier that was about one hundred meters away from where he was, but was also about twenty feet below where he was standing. Without a second thought, he began to run towards the pier. He slid down the grassy hill that was Cloud's front garden and then crossed the street light illuminated road and continued to run, parallel to the wall that protected people from a twenty foot drop to the beach below. He sprinted to the end of the street, where he contemplated following the pavement to the sidewalk to the pier, around a large block of houses. He decided he didn't have the time, and instead placed both his hands on the wall before kicking off on his left foot over the wall. He fell to the sand, landing with a thud. He once more rose to his feet and then began to walk somewhat hazily to the pier, where he searched for his boat. He groaned when he noticed that his boat was gone. He looked around for another boat, but to no avail. Nobody else kept their boat here except for him. He ran to the end of the pier and looked across the moonlit ocean towards Kismet Island; the island that himself, Riku and Kairi had deemed their play island over a decade earlier. He had to get there. He stepped back. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he ran forwards, jumping off the pier into the cold, unforgiving waters below.

_**Who said that it's better to have loved and lost?**_  
_**I wish that I had never loved at all.**_

_Valentine?_

_A sequel?_

_Whatthefuck?_

_Less Talk. More action._

**16/06/2010 Updated 22/10/10**


	23. The Truth? Part One

It's Back.

Thanks for the 0 reviews for the last chapter. Not even kidding, it convinced me to go back and rewrite the whole thing. It really needed fixed.

But, reviews would be quite nice nonetheless.

Split this chapter into multiple parts, it really began to drag.

* * *

_Russian Roulette, a Car Crash, a Secret Romance, a 'Friendly' Rivalry, a Brand New Scar, a Brand New Car, a Friend Who's Just Came Out The Closet, More Mood Swings Than The Scottish Weather, and Sophomore Year's Only Just Begun!_

**Teenage Kicks **

**Chapter Twenty Three  
**

**The Truth? Part One.**

**[!This Chapter Contains References To Sex and Alcohol, As well As Strong Language!]**

The song in this chapter is _Somebody's Always Getting In the Way _by _The Sunshine Underground._

**

* * *

**

Sora hummed gently as he lay on the bed, hands resting behind his large, spikey head of hair. He glanced over at Selphie; she was deep in thought over what to ask him. He'd agreed, in order to make their game of 'seven minutes of heaven' more, well, heavenly (for the girl, at least), to answer twenty questions truthfully, regardless of how obscene or personal they may be.

"Question one." Selphie bit her lip, still trying to decide what to ask first. "Have you ever had a crush on me?"

"Well, yeah, obviously." Sora blushed slightly, but his laid back façade remained.

"Aww! Likewise!" Selphie admitted. "Now, question two: Does your ding-dong work?" Sora shot up from where he was sitting.

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Your subdural hematoma thing, doesn't that make your_, y'know_, well, _y'know?_" She asked, almost timidly, yet retaining her eagerness.

"I can one-hundred per cent confirm that my penis works fine, thank you very much." He stifled a laugh, before lying back down on the bed.

"Okay, mister 'my-penis-is-awesome', Selphie teased, "do you know Namine had a massive crush on you, back in the 8th grade?"

"Yup," Sora grinned with some pride. "Kai' told me last week."

"Oh my God, you just called Kairi 'Kai'' again!" Selphie gushed.

"Um, your point?" Sora asked her, genuinely confused.

"That's _your _nickname for her. Gosh you two are so cute!" Selphie was beaming at this point. Sora sighed softly.

"But she's dating Riku, who treats her like trash, for kicks!" He groaned. "I think she really likes him." Selphie looked at the upset boy lying across from her, and was about to comfort him until he resumed speaking. "C'mon, Selph'; I can get all angsty later, you only have one chance to ask me _whatever_ you want." Although he would never admit it, Sora loved the attention he received when doing something like this, and he sort of hoped that Selphie would spill a few of his secrets, especially if they would help him to accomplish something he was too scared to do himself.

"Okay then. What are you afraid of?" Sora pondered for a second before confidently replying.

"Rejection. And losing the people I care about." His voice trailed off as he spoke, but he looked at Selphie, urging her to continue.

"Are you gay?" She laughed slightly.

"Happy? No. Homo? No."

"Ever kissed a girl?"

"Yeah, you think I'm like ten or something?" Sora smirked.

"Ooh, Kairi will be cross." Selphie muttered, loud enough for Sora to hear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora enquired.

"Well, just before my party, Kairi told me that she'd never kissed a boy."

"Yeah, well, now she kisses Riku all the time, so _wayhey _for her." Sora groaned. "Anyway, continue, please."

"I really can't think of anything when you put me on the spot." She giggled slightly, before slouching down against a pillow. "Where did you and ''Kai' get that bottle of vodka from, hmm?"

"Well, we were peeking around this gaff, and I found a cupboard with a shit-ton of alcohol in it."

"Hmm… Why did you come into my room at seven AM in your underwear, eh?"

Sora closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You really wanna know?"

"Hell yeah."

Sora exhaled heavily. "Right, I, for some reason unbeknownst to myself, slept in my bed with Kairi last nig-"

"Oh my God! Oh my G-"

"Not slept as in, _you know,_ as in, literally slept."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and I was a bit pissed, so I have no idea how I ended up in just my boxers."

"Hmm… very believable." Selphie spoke, her voice lathered with sarcasm.

"Honest to God. And then I woke up, saw Riku KO'd in the bed across from me and decided I needed to get the fuck out of there, pronto!" He smirked slightly.

"Someone's becoming quite the lady killer recently." Selphie poked at him, trying to gain the response she craved.

"H-huh?" Sora choked slightly.

"Sora? Just say it."

"I don't get what you're talking about."

"Sora?"

"What!" He looked at her, appearing genuinely confused.

"I know about you and Namine."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

You know those moments where you feel the world just crack around you? This was one of them. Just a little crack, another imperfection on the quickly deteriorating _thing _that is my life. And one thing about cracks: they always grow. They become more noticeable, more dangerous, over time. And they never completely disappear. A fracture will always remain, perhaps covered after a long period of time. But never vanquished. The 'crack' I'm referring to; my ever blossoming relationship with Namine. Sure, I'm glad to have her right now. But maybe that's the problem.

Maybe she's the other type of crack to me.

"Sora?" Sora jolted upwards, looking towards Selphie. Her face momentarily construed a look of confusion, before she burst into a fit of laughter.

"What?" Sora moaned.

"I thought I'd lost you there." Selphie chuckled. "You looked so terrified."

"Funny stuff." Sora sighed.

"Oh, lighten up mister grumpy guts." Selphie rose from her perch on the bed, her hands on her hips, exuding authority. She stuck her tongue out at Sora, before crouching down beside him. "I have an idea."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"P-p-p-poker Face, P-p-poker Face, nah-nah-nah-nah." Roxas hummed to himself as the music from the iPod dock drew to a close. He looked over to Tidus, who had his ear up against the door, trying to hear the conversation, or whatever was going on, between Sora and Selphie. Wakka was sat on the bed, talking to Kairi and Namine about the first Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie.

"S'happening G'?" Roxas called over to Tidus.

"Not too much, can only hear mumbling really." Tidus responded, still pressed up against the door separating their party from Selphie and Sora.

"Face it mate, nothing happening." Roxas beckoned for his blond friend to come over and sit beside him.

They were interrupted by a loud bang against the door, followed by some muffled moans through the wall.

"What the fuck?" Roxas sniggered. He looked over towards Kairi and Namine, both of whom had looks of shock on their faces.

"Sora is a fucking player, 'Mon!" Wakka laughed, in disbelief.

"Surely not." Tidus sprung up to his feet and resumed his post against the door, quickly joined by Roxas and Tidus. They listened intently to whatever was going on between Sora and Selphie.

"Don't you guys feel a wee bit, dirty or something, listening to what we can only assume is Sora shagging Selphie?" Roxas stifled an explosion of giggles ready to erupt from deep within him.

"Nah, if anything, it's giving me a boner." Wakka whispered, only to be met by odd, piercing stares by both Tidus and Roxas.

"Bit weird, man."

"Are they two… doing it?" Kairi asked, seemingly petrified.

"Think so." Tidus winked, giving her a thumbs-up.

"It's all gone a wee bit quie- Nope, that bed sounds _really_ creaky."

"God she can squeal!" Tidus stated.

"Fuck sake, you guys are such pervs." Kairi groaned.

"How long have they even been in there for?" Tidus asked.

"Um… twenty-four minutes." Roxas checked his phone.

"It's supposed to be seven minutes of heaven, for crying out loud." Kairi jumped up and banged her fist against the door. "Shows over, you two."

The three boys retreated from the door, which was soon opened from the other side. Out stepped a heavily dishevelled Sora, his t-shirt on inside out, followed closely by Selphie, a large grin adorning her hair-strewn face. The pair of them walked in and sat down in the now reformed circle, not batting an eye lid in reference to what had just happened previously. Sora kneeled down beside the now rather pale looking Namine, and whispered something in her ear. Her facial expression immediately turned into a slight grin, as she laughed gently before whispering softly back to Sora.

"Time to spin again then?" Selphie squealed, before spinning the bottle once more. The clear liquid lapped around the sides of the bottle, as it slowed down to a steady halt.

"Oh, for feck sake." Sora groaned. It had landed on him. Again. "I'm gonna go wait in there." He jumped up to his feet, before striding into the room from which he had just came, before lying own onto the same bed as he had before. He fished his earphones from his pocket, before closing his eyes and listening to his music.

_What's standing in your way?_

_Cause you're afraid to make mistakes sometimes,  
_

_You hold your ideas back and go to sleep._

_And you said you've been around the block,  
_

_Oh the things you know and the places you go,  
_

_The ideas that everybody's had before.  
_

_Well listen to yourself,  
_

_You rely on everyone else,  
_

_What brought it to attention,  
_

_Because it sits uncomfortably,_

_Well come on give something a chance  
_

_When all you ever say  
_

_Is somebody's always getting in the way_

_What price for a simple remedy?  
_

_When you convince yourself you're somewhere else,  
_

_You hold your ideas back and go to sleep._

_Well listen to yourself,  
_

_You rely on everyone else,  
_

_What brought it to attention  
_

_Because it sits uncomfortably,  
_

_Well come on give something a chance,_

_When all you ever say  
_

_Is somebody's always getting in the way_

She slowly crept into the room, silently shutting the door behind her. She clicked the lock before turning around to face Sora, who was totally oblivious to her presence. She grinned mischievously, before unzipping her fleece and making her way over to him. She climbed onto the bed and pinned the brunette down.

"Uh… hi t-there." Sora stuttered, flustered. He squirmed slightly as she kissed the side of his neck, before kissing lightly against his collarbone. He used his strength to overpower her, and flip over so he had her pinned, a contrast to what was occurring seconds before. He raised his hand and tucked her light blond hair behind her ear.

"So you and Selph' were just having a laugh then?" Namine pursed her lips.

"Yeah, we were just jumping on the bed, and then we ruffled each other's hair, you know, to make it look like we were, _you know._" Sora admitted. He swooped down and kissed her lips passionately, only stopping when his phone fell out of his jeans pocket. He kissed her softly once more, before climbing down off the bed to pick up his phone. "Oh, I have a message." He unlocked his phone to see that the message was from Selphie. Intrigued, he clicked to open it.

_I'll be seeing you later, big boy ;) x_

"Who's it from?" Namine asked him.

"Just Irvine, asking if I enjoyed skiing." Sora lied, genuinely caught off guard by the content of the text he had received.

"Russia is so boring." Sora sighed, his knees up against his chin, his back against the bed.

"Yep, sure is." Namine slouched down next to him, clasping her hand in his.

"Hm, I was sure that it was gonna be so much better than this too." Sora admitted.

"Hey, we still have a while left here, you know."

"Yeah, I suppose. But right now it sucks, and there is absolutely nothing to do." Sora placed his head against his knees.

"Hey. Wanna have sex?"

* * *

**14/11/2010**


	24. The Truth? Part Two

If you want to kill me for taking so long, fair enough!

This chapter has been on my computer since November, but we just got the internet back last week, so here you are, over half a year later. Sorry.

Changed the second half of the chapter while I was editing it though, it wa far too long, it flows better now (although, you can clearly see what parts I've done lately, since my writing style has changed quite majorly). Plus, one Cliffhanger was bad enough, never mind two! (It' 2:30 AM, so sorry if there's some terrible English in there too!)

And a few main characters take a back seat here, which is down to said editing. Sorry. (Again!)

I'll try and get Chapter Twenty Five up by as soon as I can, and if not, have a quickfire 25/26, it's the least I can do.

* * *

_Russian Roulette, a Car Crash, a Secret Romance, a 'Friendly' Rivalry, a Brand New Scar, a Brand New Car, a Friend Who's Just Came Out The Closet, More Mood Swings Than The Scottish Weather, and Sophomore Year's Only Just Begun!_

**Teenage Kicks **

**Chapter Twenty Four  
**

**The Truth? Part Two.**

**[!This Chapter Contains Minor Sexual References And Strong Language!]**

The song in this chapter is _I Don't Wanna Be _by _Gavin DeGraw._

* * *

Roxas drew shapes idly with his finger on his denim jeans as he exhaled heavily. He looked up to see Sora strutting casually over to the closet wearing nought but a pair of pink shorts, before yanking out a short-sleeved hooded top and pulling it roughly over his cranium. He sighed slightly as he closed the door, before turning to face Roxas.

"You alright mate?" Sora asked him, somewhat out of the blue. Roxas had been oddly silent since their game of 'seven minutes in heaven' had drawn to a conclusion.

"Yeah, man." Roxas assured him, pretty unconvincingly. "You cool with sharing a dorm with Wakka?"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"You okay if I bring a girl back to the room, Mon?" Wakka queried, looking over to Tidus, before sauntering over to the window. The blonde laughed slightly, pondering for a few seconds over what his reply should be.

"Only if I can bring a guy back." Tidus beamed, knowing fine well it was a controversial topic between them.

"That seems a bit weird, Mon." Wakka squirmed, his discomfort clearly visible on his face.

"How is that weird?" Tidus pressed like a shark that has the scent of blood, clearly irked at his supposed best-friend's response.

"It just is." Wakka shrugged, not exactly sure how to counter Tidus' question.

"So, let me get this right, it's okay if you bring a girl back, but if I bring a guy back, it's 'weird'. Am I weird Wakka? Am I?" Tidus roared, the volume of his voice ascending at an astounding rate.

"I'm sorry, Mon. Can we just drop it? I made a mistake." Wakka pleaded, attempting to limit the damage the conversation was causing to their friendship.

"Have you told your Dad yet, Wakka?" Tidus asked, his voice sounding hopeful, despite the fact that he was convinced that this wasn't the case.

"Nah, Mon," Wakka frowned, looking out of the condensation-coated window. "I just can't. He's a really devout Muslim, and he won't condone."

"What about you?" Tidus confronted him, standing up and grabbing Wakka's shoulder, pulling him so he was staring deep into his eyes.

"What about me?" Wakka asked, monotonously.

"What do you think about me being gay?" Tidus' words were harsh, blunt, straight to the point. His voice deepened greatly with each syllable that left his lips as he spoke, until his words became nothing but a harsh whisper.

"Man, I'm a Muslim, and as a Mus-"

"It's religion Wakka. It's just stuff. You don't have to believe in it!" Tidus looked away from Wakka, raising his hand slightly between them.

"But where does that leave me? I'm a Muslim boy. I don't get to choose." Wakka tried to explain his side of the argument, although he knew he was getting absolutely nowhere.

"But where does that leave us?" Tidus stood for a few seconds, lukewarm streams of water beginning to roll down from his eyes, irritating his cheeks. He shoved Wakka tamely with one hand, barely budging the much-larger boy, before storming out of the room.

"You alright?" Selphie asked him as he roared through the room where the rest of the gang had been waiting, like a tropical storm. He threw the door open, not even having to close it as it lashed back with even greater force than Tidus had exerted. No response.

Tidus continued to rage through the corridor, violently swinging at anything and everything in his path, kicking out at doors and walls with little to no accuracy. When he was finally exhausted, he brought himself to a halt, leaning his head against a dorm' door. He began to sob against it, bringing his fist up to the door, punching it feebly. For minutes he stood there, thoughts running through his head uncontrollably as the hot water began to stream from his eyes. As he decided to go and clean his face up, the door quickly swung open, catching Tidus off guard. He stumbled awkwardly, falling forwards into open arms. He mumbled slightly against the figures chest.

"Come on in Tidus, you can explain everything inside." Riku helped Tidus regain his composure, before showing him inside his and Sora's dormitory. He sat down on Sora's bed, before motioning to Tidus to sit down beside him. "So, what's the matter, pal?"

"W-well," Tidus dried his eyes, coughing slightly as he prepared to bring Riku up to speed with what had happened. "Wakka's decided to become a Muslim."

"Huh? What, like, more Muslim than he was already?" Riku pressed, slightly bemused.

"A bit more Muslim, yeah." Tidus sobbed once more.

"What happened?" The silver-haired teen sighed quietly.

"Wakka's just switched about me being... _y'know_." Tidus grimaced as he spoke. For some weird reason, _he_ felt guilty!

"Blonde?" Riku smirked, knowing all too well what Tidus meant.

"No!"

"Short?" Again, he decided to push Tidus' buttons.

"Gay!"

"Shall I give you head?" Riku proposed, completely out of the blue.

"W-what?" Tidus stuttered, clearly astounded at his friends proposal.

"It'll Cheer you up." Riku attempted to convince him.

"For fuck's sake!" Tidus moaned, "You're supposed to be my friend Riku, and I come in here with a problem, okay?" He sighed, placing his head in his hands.

"You...fuck!"

"We're in Russia Tidus! I wanna try something new, make a memory. You only live once and all that, you know?" He grinned, his hand trailed through his shoulder-length locks.

"I'm, not a hobby Riku. It's not like you're not taking up canoeing or anything like that!"

"I've been canoeing." Riku grinned, clearly finding himself hilarious.

"What about Kairi?"

"She loves canoeing." Riku chuckled.

"Riku, please!" Tidus begged. "Can I just swap dorm's with you?"

"No can do man, I'm all comfy here. But I'm sure that Sora'll be more than happy to swap."

"Oh, alright. Thanks." Tidus smiled.

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

Sora turned to his blond companion. "Yeah mate, I'm cool with it. Plus, it gets Riku out my hair for a little while, which is a massive positive as far as I'm concerned." Sora grinned.

Roxas smiled ever so slightly, happy to see a frequent smile on his friends face again.

"How are you guys getting on, honestly, with the whole Kairi thing?" Roxas asked his friend, who was still standing across from him, leaning against the oak door of the dormitory's closet. Sora feigned a wince, before breathing out a muted laugh.

"It's going alright to be honest man. Me and Riku have been sound since we got here, and for the past few weeks more or less. To be honest, if anything is the matter, it's Kai'; She's so fucking," He closed his eyes and breathed inwards through his teeth, "annoying! I mean, one sec' it's all good, the next she's all moody and angry and everything in between. I know I've been pretty much the same, but it's not like her at all." Sora finished his little rant, before opening his eyes once more, and looking at Roxas who now had a massive grin on his face. "That's a little creepy, dude."

"Did you notice what you just did there?" Roxas asked him.

"Um, I let you hear my thoughts about Kairi?" Sora raised his eyebrow, confused.

"Nope. You called Kairi 'Kai''."

"Oh God, not you too." Sora moaned, dragging his feet over to the bed before slumping down next to Roxas.

"What does that mean?"

"Selphie was giving me that whole 'you called Kairi Kai'' routine earlier." Sora mimicked Selphie's voice in a high-pitched squeaky tone that sounded absolutely nothing like Selphie.

"Ha, can you honestly say you're surprised? I mean, come on! Selphie is _the _number one gossip in school. She'll latch onto anything and everything, then twist it, contort it, and so on." Roxas explained, trying to match his words up with over-emphasised hand gestures.

"Pfft. I wouldn't go that far man." Sora lay back, eyes pinned to the ceiling.

"Seriously, she can't keep a secret, at all!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Clearly." Sora smirked, knowing all to well that this wasn't the case.

"Anyway, you and your wee lady friend, eh?" Roxas winked, catching Sora off guard.

"I-I never knew you knew man." Sora stumbled, his face going beet red.

"Yup. We all heard you and Selph'." Sora sighed in relief, before letting out a childish giggle.

"Trust me man, you don't wanna know!"

"Haha, okay, if you say so Sora." Roxas flicked his eyes to the screen of his cell phone, taking note of the time. "Time for us to go get something to eat."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_I don't need to be anything other than a prison guard's son,  
I don't need to be anything other than a specialist's son,  
I don't have to be anyone other than the birth of two souls in one,  
Part of where I'm going is knowing where I'm coming from,_

_I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately,_  
_All I have to do is think of me and have peace of mind,_  
_I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wonder what I gotta do,_  
_Or who I'm supposed to be,_  
_I don't wanna be anything other than me,_

_I'm surrounded by liars everywhere I turn,_  
_I'm surrounded by impostors everywhere I turn,_  
_I'm surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn,_  
_Am I the only one to notice?_  
_I can't be the only one who's learned,_

_I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately,_  
_All I have to do is think of me and have peace of mind,_  
_I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wonder what I gotta do,_  
_Or who I'm supposed to be,_  
_I don't wanna be anything other than me,_

_Can I have everyone's attention please?_  
_If you're not like this and that, you're gonna have to leave,_  
_I came from the mountains,_  
_The crust of creation,_  
_My whole situation made from clay to stone,_  
_And now I'm telling everybody,_

_I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately,_  
_All I have to do is think of me and have peace of mind,_  
_I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wonder what I gotta do,_  
_Or who I'm supposed to be,_

_I don't wanna be anything other than me,_  
_I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately,_  
_All I have to do is think of me and have peace of mind,_  
_I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wonder what I gotta do,_  
_Or who I'm supposed to be,_

_I don't wanna be anything other than me,_  
_I don't wanna be, hey yeah, hey yeah,_  
_I don't wanna be, oh, oh, oh,_  
_I don't wanna be,_  
_I don't wanna be anything,_  
_Anything other than me,_  
_I don't wanna be (hey yeah, yeah),_  
_I don't wanna be (hey yeah, yeah),_  
_I don't wanna be (hey yeah, yeah),_  
_Hey yeah, yeah,_  
_Hey yeah, yeah._

Basketball, has got to be the most violent sport, nay, the most violent experience I have ever had the 'joy' of participating in in my life. Ironic, isn't it? That the one 'non-contact' sport I take part in happens to be the one that hurts the most. Maybe its different for the rest of the world, and the batterings and the bruises I encumbered were just results of the combination of my bad luck, poor catching skills and a shocking lack of balance. Or maybe it was the fact that the two girls, or maybe three if I let my mind wander, girls that my life revolved around were all watching intently as I hopelessly tried to keep the score to a respectful level.

"Come on Sora, you're embarrassing yourself!" Riku smugly grinned as he threw the dirty orange sphere roughly into my chest, which knocked the wind right out of me, despite me making my best efforts to pass it off as nothing. I turned to my team mate, bouncing the ball over to him.

"You ain't no Lucas Scott, that's for sure." Roxas grinned at me, nonchalantly tossing the ball up and down towards the black Russian sky.

"I have no idea what the hell that's supposed to mean, man." I smirked, rubbing the sweat off the side of my face.

"Dude, seriously? It's from One Tree H-" Roxas began to explain himself but he was interrupted by Wakka, who was growing pretty impatient at the time we were taking to get the game back underway.

"Come on guys, you're down by five, ya. Let's go!"

"Gimmie the rock." I whispered to Roxas, who obliged by returning the ball to me. I bounced it witch my right, stepping forward as I dribbled. One. Two. Three. Four. I looked up to see Riku towering over me; that typical Riku expression plastered upon his pretty-boy mug. I nodded to my left, acknowledging the space Roxas was in, awaiting the ball. I raised my hands feigning a pass to Roxas, before taking a leap and tossing the ball towards the hoop. Upon hearing the chains that were a makeshift net chink upon contact with the ball, I looked into the eyes of Riku, shot him a slight smirk, and took a bow. A bit cheeky? Definitely. Arrogant? Perhaps.

"You just got absolutely schooled Riku!" Kairi cried out, in a fit of giggles. I looked over to the girls sitting at the sideline of the lowly-lit basketball court, which was hidden behind the complex that we were staying, and gave a sly wink. At who? I decided to leave that to everyone's own minds. I felt a hand slap painfully between my shoulder blades.

"That's what I'm talking about! Absolutely schooled them man!" Roxas squealed loudly into my ear, catching me slightly off guard.

"Tell you what guys, I have something planned with Tidus and Irvine tonight, so to speed up proceedings, next basket wins?" Riku suggested. He was clearly afraid of me now. Clearly.

"Fine." I laboured, feigning far more disappointment than I was actually feeling. Riku dribbled the ball towards me, his eyes focused on the ball as it bounced rhythmically between his right hand and the ground below. He came closer and closer, until he was mere inches from me. I coiled my hand back slightly, ready to strike the ball away from him mid bounce. A tad rashly, I decided to commit myself to get the ball, in an over exaggerated movement that Riku swiftly shrugged off, digging his knee into my crotch slyly as he passed; adding injury to insult. I collapsed to the floor, half choking as I looked up to see him skip past Roxas to dunk the ball home for the win. Roxas looked over at me, a blank expression displayed on his face. He smirked dejectedly (if that's even possible!), before shrugging slightly.

"Good game ladies, but I gotta dash!" Riku jogged over to where the girls were seated, stealing a kiss from Kairi before dashing off, presumably to meet up with Tidus and Irvine.

"Now what?" Roxas asked me as he offered his hand to me, which I accepted, using it to assist me to my feet. I dusted myself down, shooting a quick glance at Namine and Kairi as they were locked in inaudible conversation, while Selphie was nodding and agreeing here and there.

"I'm not too bothered, up for doing anything in particular?" I queried as we both walked toward the bench beside the run-down court. I swooped my hand down, picking up my can of Red Devil: a Russian Energy drink, which was far sweeter than RedBull, before taking a sip, nearly gagging at the sickly taste it spawned in my mouth.

"Nah, fancy just heading back to the dorms?" Roxas turned to me, "I can't be bothered doing anything else out here, to be honest". He turned to Selphie, Kairi, and Namine. "What about you three?"

"I was looking forward to seeing you to get your butts handed to you again!" Selphie beamed. I rolled my eyes, I was used to being taunted, it was no big deal.

"Kairi and Selph' were just saying they were going to go back inside to hang out, but I think I'm gonna stay outside a little longer." Namine chirped in, quickly flashing her eyes towards me.

"Regret saying you want to head back in?" I muttered under my breath, resulting in a hard whack to the back of my head from Roxas.

"You're an ass!" He groaned, before turning to Namine, "Sure I'll stay out with y-"

"Roxie, do you want to come in and help us get Tidus and Wakka talking again?" Selphie interrupted him. He couldn't really turn her down, given the state of affairs between the two.

"Fine." He sighed, muttering his goodbyes to me before turning around and trudging slowly towards the complex.

"So, are you coming too Sora or what?" The brunette turned to me. I swear to god she slyly winked at me!

"You know what?" I caught on to what she was doing, "I think I'm gonna stay out here with Nam'," I grinned.

"Alright, well, see you two later then!" Kairi mumbled, looking away from me. She was being awfully quiet. Again. She began towalk away, without another word being said other than a small 'goodnight' from Namine. I looked towards Selphie, catching her mouthing something to Namine. I don't know if I read her lips right, but if I did, damn that girl is such a perv! She turned towards me and smiled, causing me to blush slightly. Hopefully Namine never caught that. I parted my lips before mouthing something to her, well aware that Kairi was still in the vicinity.

"Thank you."

Maybe it' not a bad thing that Selphie knows about us!

"Night Selph'!" Namine waved at Selphie, before spinning on her feet to face me. "Now, there's something I haven't done in a while." She tiptoed over to me, placing both her hands on my presumably rather rosy cheeks before softly placing her lips against mine.

"So, d'you want to go a walk?" I asked her, my hand curling softly around her waist. She bit her lip, fumbling with her creamy blonde hair, before nodding slightly. I stepped to the side, my arm still around her, and followed her lead as she began to walk into the snow glazed woods.

We walked in relative silence for a good five, ten minutes- maybe more, the only sound coming from the crunch of the crisp white snow and an array of twigs beneath our feet. I looked over my shoulder at her: Her sky blue hooded jersey now hid all but the ends of her sandy hair, her normally pale cheeks stained red by the chilled, foreign air. I smiled as I let my arm wander from around her waist, slowly dropping it until my hand met hers. I grinned widely as we kept on walking.

"Sora?" She spoke timidly, finally breaking the silence that had developed..

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" It's not as if it hadn't crossed my mind, but she was right, I had absolutely no idea where we were going.

"Honestly? No." I stated simply. I wasn't being blunt in a sort of macho, dark kind of way, I was honestly just to cold to put together any sort of meaningful sentence. Going for a walk at night in high altitude Russia wearing a thin T-shirt and a pair of oversized sport shorts probably wasn't one of my better ideas. We continued to trek forwards through the trees until we reached a small clearing. I stopped walking, feeling her arm tug slightly as she turned around and pressed against me. I looked down into her clear, icy eyes. For some reason, the moment was awkward. Nothing moved around us, the forest that huddled around us was placid. I let out a slight laugh upon my breath, but once more silence prevailed. I smiled at her, lifting my hand up to her face, before slowly letting the hood of her sweatshirt down. I tucked her hair delicately behind her ear, my gaze not escaping hers, my right hand still intertwined with her left. She began to shake slightly, from the cold or from my presence? I'll never know. She opened her mouth to speak, but I simply placed my fingertip against her frozen lips. Namine looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, and that broke me. I began to shake my head ever so slightly, looking away from her. In my peripheral vision it looked like she was doing the same. Her eyes appeared to be fixated on the frost powdered grass. I don't know what was going through her mind at this point, but she began to giggle! I looked at her, raising my eyebrow slightly in confusion. She continued to look at the terrain that lay beneath us, and she sighed, her warm breath tickling the side of my neck. I closed my eyes, feeling I'd probably regret the next few moments for the rest of my life.

"I can't do this." I groaned, causing her to lift her head sharply, her eyes staring daggers through me.

"What?" She was dumbfounded. I began to grin slightly, which I imagine merely heightened her confusion. I knew she couldn't resist. I began to lean forwards, my eyelids closing in sync, until my lips met hers. Then it hit me like a freight train. Three words kept echoing through my mind, through my heart.

"Don't ever change."

I had.

I slowly brought my lips from hers, and began to gaze once more upon her. Here goes nothing. I began to speak. "I-I," I began to stammer, the air escaping from my mouth crystallizing into a mist between us. "I lo- I really like you Namine."

She remained motionless as time passed, looking deeply into my eyes. She could probably read me like a book. I closed my eyes, possibly out of regret, possibly to protect myself. I felt her arms wrap around me, and her head lean gently against my chest. She shook for a few seconds, before returning to her original posture.

"Sora, there's something I have to tell you, something I should have told you before" I looked into Namine's eyes once more, trying to read her as she had been reading me moments before. I imagine a perplexed expression had etched itself on my face. Her lip trembled slightly as she revealed what she had been keeping hidden from me.

"You never kissed Kairi, Sora."

* * *

**28/06/2011**


	25. The Truth? Part Three

Again, there's a severe lack of a major character in this chapter, and not for the first time. Apologies, but it really helps with the flow and helps to convey some of what Sora's going through.

Also, there's a bit in this chapter that was really awkward to write (you'll be able to guess what I'm alluding to straight away), I didn't want to overdo it, but I'm not to sure I haven't left it a bit short and devoid of detail.

And, as for SoRiKaiRoxamineifelphidunakka, I probably couldn't describe it better than that. Sora Riku Kairi Roxas Namine Seifer Selphie Tidus Wakka, if you couldn't manage that!

One last thing, thanks for sticking with this so far, I'm planning on picking up the pace with this again, update wise. Thanks for the views, favourites and reviews. If you happen to review this chapter, make sure to leave a little note saying what you'd rather see: shorter chapters updated faster, or longer breaks between updates, with chapter length being consistently pretty high.

Thanks, guys.

* * *

_Russian Roulette, a Car Crash, a Secret Romance, a 'Friendly' Rivalry, a Brand New Scar, a Brand New Car, a Friend Who's Just Came Out The Closet, More Mood Swings Than The Scottish Weather, and Sophomore Year's Only Just Begun!_

**Teenage Kicks **

**Chapter Twenty Five  
**

**The Truth? Part Three.**

**[!This Chapter Contains References To Sex, As Well As Some Minor Strong Language!]**

The song in this chapter is _Becoming The Bull _by _Atreyu._

* * *

"And that's all from me, Tidus Martingale, reporting from our trip to Russia." Tidus grinned widely at the camcorder he held outwards, it's lens pointed towards him. He turned as he heard the door open behind him, to see Riku slowly creeping into the room.

"Oh, am I interrupting?" He queried, raising his hand apologetically. Tidus laughed slightly, shaking his head

"Nah, just finishing off part of Sora's history report, that's all." Tidus sat the camcorder down upon the bedside cabinet, crouching down and beginning to untie his shoelaces. This was their last night in the complex, with their flight back to the Islands scheduled for the early hours of the morning. Tidus strained his neck as he turned to face Riku, who had made his way to his bed, and was now lying down, one hand placed behind his head, amongst his silver locks, the other propping a book up into his line of vision. "What's that you're reading?"

"Milk and Marshmallows," Riku replied, monotonously, his eyes remaining fixed on the small black text within the tome.

"Isn't that a bit, y'know, girly?" Tidus raised his eyebrow as he removed his second sneaker, before jumping up onto his bed.

"And being attracted to men isn't?" Riku looked at Tidus this time. His face conveyed that he was being deadly serious, but this was Riku after all.

"Point taken, man. I was just making conversation," Tidus sighed, fidgeting as he sat upon the side of what was formerly Sora's bed.

"Besides," Riku was once more engrossed in his book, "The writer's a dude, which is probably the best thing when it comes to a romance novel."

"Really?" Tidus furthered the conversation. He asked this somewhat out of genuine interest, but mostly just to continue the discussion.

"Yeah, I guess it's because we have a more rational view on the emotion, I dunno. Think about it: you have Tom E. Huff, Leigh Greenwood, Michael Little, Samuel Richardson, all dudes".

"Honestly Riku, I've never heard of a single one of them." Tidus admitted, masking a yawn as he spoke.

"Pseudonyms, Tidus. Huff, for example, wrote as Jennifer Wilde." Riku stated, matter-of-fact-illy. Tidus rolled his eyes dramatically, before falling back onto the bed.

"I get it Riku, you're a literary genius, blah blah, I wish I hadn't coaxed you into talking about all this!"

"Well, if you don't want to talk then what do you want to do, Tidus?" Riku fingered the top corner of the book, folding it neatly into a small triangle before shutting it over and sitting it to his side.

"We can still talk, Riku, just not about your 'vast literary knowledge' Unless of course you have something better we could do?" Riku rose from his bed, before making his way across the room and squatting next to Tidus'.

"We could do what I suggested the other day." He winked at the blonde, who returned a rather puzzled look.

"W-hat do you mean?" Tidus jerked upright, his eyes fixed on the seafoam blue eyes of the older teen. A half smirk adorned Riku's face as he stood upright.

"I always thought you were gay, Tidus. But now I know, maybe it's time we do something about it." Tidus lay there, slightly confused as his mind began to piece everything together. "What happens in Russia, stays in Russia."

Riku, now leaning over the form of his prone friend, brought his lips to Tidus'. Tidus tried to push him off, tried to stop him, but his attempts were fruitless, and he quickly gave into his friend, lowering his hand to unclasp Riku's belt buckle. He pulled his neck back, struggling to catch some air in his lungs. "Is the door locked?"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

_Come on!_

_ Grab the bull by the horns the old adage goes._  
_ Nobody tells you where to go from there._  
_ Seems like fate's pulling you._  
_ Decisions have to be made._  
_ The best path is the hardest earned._

_ Back and forth the struggle consumes us all._  
_ Trying to keep a level head._  
_ In the most unsettling of times._  
_ Today I'll become the bull._

_Become the bull!_

_ There is so much at stake._  
_ I stumble I lose my place._  
_ Pride and arrogance surrounded by sin._  
_ Destiny takes its hold._  
_ Fight it or let it go._  
_ But I choose how the day will end._

_ G-G-G-G GO!_

_ Back and forth the struggle consumes us all._  
_ Trying to keep a level head._  
_ In the most unsettling of times._  
_ Today I become the bull._

_Today, I become the bull._

_ This walk can get lonely._  
_ I lose myself inside my head._  
_ No one can touch you when you're outside staring in._  
_ Remove myself from this rat race._

_ Back and forth the struggle consumes us all._  
_ Trying to keep a level head._  
_ In the most unsettling of times._  
___Today I become the bull._

___Today I become the bull._

The bass thudded against the walls of the room while "Becoming The Bull" by Atreyu blared, reverberating around the dormitory, and more than likely everyone else's too. A great way to be woken up, it must be said, especially as it had just left quarter past three in the morning. I yanked my duvet off of my tired body before hoisting myself to my feet, retrieving a few essentials from the drawer beneath my bed, and dragging my feet out of the dorm towards the small bathroom just down the corridor.

I tugged sharply on the cord that powered the bathroom light, shivering slightly as it automatically started the small fan in the room as well as illuminating the tiny wash closet. I approached the sink, twisting the top of the tap to activate it, before looking up to survey myself in the mirror.

I looked like shit; my hair was more of a disasterpiece than a masterpiece, flattened at points with my fringe curled at the bottom due to the abundance of wet snow that it came into contact with a matter of hours earlier. My skin looked pale, with large blue bags drooping beneath my pink-tinted eyes, and a real bitch of a spot had popped up on my chin in the past four or so hours!

Maybe I was overreacting (I'm not a morning person, in the slightest), but I just felt like I could drop dead right there and then.

"Sora?" I nearly jumped right out of my skin in fright as I heard a voice coming from behind me. I realized I hadn't even closed the door! "You gonna be long?" I turned to see Selphie standing at the door, waiting to get in the bathroom.

"Um, no I'll just be a sec." I gave her a slight thumbs up, before turning around and squeezing about an inch of toothpaste onto my toothbrush. I raised it to my mouth and began to rapidly move my fist from left to right.

"So, how did your 'walk' with Namine go then?" She asked, a clear flirtatious tone was evident in her words.

"Not bad." I mumbled, swishing the toothpaste around in my mouth before spitting it into the sink, washing my toothbrush slightly under the cold flowing water, before repeating my routine.

"Get any?" She asked her next question, rather bluntly to be honest.

"Hm," I spat into the sink once more, before closing off the tap. I spun around to face her, resting against the rim of the sink. "obviously not, we just walked and talked."

"So your telling me she made up the part about getting on her knees and unz-"

"Selph'!" I blushed, grinning slightly at her extremely boyish humour. "There is one thing I need to talk to you about though."

"Oh yeah? I'm all ears."

"Last night, Namine mentioned... something. Remember the night we were all at her house, the night where Namine got that old acoustic guitar out of her wardrobe and well, you know, I kissed Kairi?"

"Oh jeez." Selphie squirmed, a worried look on her face.

"What?" I asked her loudly, a hint of aggression laced my tone of voice. "I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but I feel like I'm being left out of the loop somewhere!"

"Sora," She walked towards me, placing her arm around my shoulder. I made a half-hearted attempt to shrug her arm off, more to convey my feelings than to legitimately push her away. She ledme over to the out-of-commision bath across the room, and we both sat down on it's rim. "That night," She stopped once more, inhaling deeply before beginning to speak. "You know how you have your- your, God, what is it called again?"

"Subdural Hematoma." I answered her, my line of sight directed at the granite tiled floor.

"Yeah, that. Well, at Namine's, you had one of your little 'episodes'; you started complaining about a pounding headache, and you started to slur your words a tad, then you just went out like a light."

To say I was confused at that moment would be the understatement of the year. "That isn't what happened, Selph'." I began to try and convince Selphie, to remind her what actually happened that night. Had she gone mad? "I asked Nam' to put on some music, but her docking station is knackered, so she got me to bring out that guitar, then me and Kairi went outside, lit the fire round the back, things happened then she broke down into tears."

"Sora, you know, this is so fucking hard to have to tell you." Selphie's cheeks became wet as warm tears began to flow down her face. Honestly, this made me scared; if she was getting so emotional over it all, there must be something to it, right? "You slept in Stella's room that night."

"I already know that. I was talking to Stella, she said I looked exhausted, and that I was free to crash out on her sofa bed."

"No, Sora, hear me out, please!" She commanded. I raised my head and looked her in the eye, nodding ever so slightly. "I told you and Kairi to get a room, you began to say you were tired, so Namine went through and checked if you could crash on the sofa bed because she didn't want you walking home. When she came back in, you had began to get a bit worst for wear. Riku called Kairi and told her he was downstairs and wanted to see if they could go a walk. She offered to stay but you told her to go. Then, about a minute later you were out. Rinoa came and got you after her shift."

I looked at her, bewildered. Was this really happening? "B-but, what about the guitar, and the fire?" I desperately tried to find a loophole in her story.

"That's where it gets confusing-" She admitted. "-er." She sighed, wiping a tear from her moist cheek. "Me and Roxas have came to the conclusion that either, you've dreamt that while you were KO'ed in Stella's room, or that's what Namine told you happened, and your brain has somehow registered all this as a memory."

"I trust you Selph', I really do. But this is... wow!" I shook my head once more. "So, either I'm getting dreams and reality mixed up, or Namine's toying with my memories?"

"Pretty much."  
"I doubt it's the latter then, since I doubt Namine would want me to think my first kiss was with Kai'."

"That is a fai- Wait, did you just say 'first kiss'?" Selphie gasped, removing her arm from it's position around me, before raising herself to a standing position. "Oh my God!"

"Selph', lets not make a big deal of this at the moment. If you hadn't already noticed, I'm in a bit of distress here."

"Aw hunny, sorry!" She pouted, holding her hand out for me to grasp. I rose to my feet, and within seconds was engulfed in, well, Selphie. She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I closed my eyes, still not fully woken up at this ungodly hour, and whispered into her ear.

"Thanks Selphie. I can always count on you." Seconds passed in relative silence, other than the whirring of the fan and a few sniffs from the brunette. The moment of tranquillity was abruptly ended however when three sharp taps were made against the door, and the voice of my oldest friend echoed through the door.

"Sora, move your ass or I'll kill you!"

God, why do I always stuck in the most awkward of positions?

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"How the hell are we meant to kill two hours here?" Roxas groaned, flinging his leg outwards towards an innocent chair leg. He massaged the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, resting his other hand on his hip. He turned to Sora, Selphie, and Wakka, who were strewn lazily along the dull red cushioned seats, their backs to a large glass wall that revealed a number of aircraft preparing for takeoff. He turned his attention to Wakka, "Plus, with you and Tidus being absolute dicks to each other, it makes it quite annoying when we're all together!"

"Yeah, you guys really need to sort it out. I'm not just saying this because you woke me up with your bloody Atreyu this morning dude, and I know it's a bit low on the list of reasons for kissing and making up, but we have a game tomorrow night man." Sora added his two cents, his head rested against Selphie's shoulder as he lay across three seats. "It's already going to be hard enough; we got, what, a ninety minute practice match over here, in totally different conditions from back on the Island, might I add. Add that to the fact that jet lag is a total bitch, and it gets quite worrying." Wakka sighed, his chin resting on his palms, trying to think of what to say next. Before he got the chance, however, Selphie took her turn at speaking.

"If you really want me to turn Tidus straight, I'll get right to it!" She beamed, causing Sora and Roxas to share a moment of eye-contact where each was one hundred percent sure of what the other was thinking. Was she being serious?

"Hate to have to leave you guys," Sora jumped up to his feet, before turning to face the trio, "but I told Riku I'd grab something to eat with him, he told me 'we need to talk'". Sora gestured with his hands, making quotation marks with his fingers. He picked up his rucksack before walking quickly down the lounge area, his momentum changing his walk into a slow jog as he turned out of their line of site. He checked the time on the signs that displayed the departure times from the airport. 7:19 AM. Perfect. He slowed himself down as he reached a small café. It was dimly lit, yet appealing on the eye. A golden glow emitted from the walls as the few patrons sat at the darkly stained pine tables, engaged in idle conversation, reading magazines and newspapers in a variety of different languages. He made his way through said eatery, the dark green carpeted floor soft under his feet, until he came to a secluded table at the far side. He was just about to take his seat when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He smiled as he spun around, knowing all to well who was behind him.

"Hey, Namine!" He embraced her in a small hug, before holding out a chair for her to take a seat. As she sat, he swiftly made his way to the other side of the table for two, directly across from the petite blonde. He grinned at her. "So, how did that go?"

"Easy!" The smile was reciprocated with a slightly smaller one from the girl. "Just told Kairi and Riku I was going to check on Selphie."

"Awesome. So what are you having?" Namine scoured the menu for a matter of moments, before deciding that simply toast, and a cappuccino would suffice. Sora on the other hand, decided that 7:22 AM was the perfect time for three chocolate chip cookies, a small slice of chocolate cake, and some home-made lemonade. He wolfed his snack down hungrily, before downing the lemon drink in a single gulp, the bitter taste washing out the overly-sweet chocolate sensation from his mouth. He heard a slight giggle from Namine. "What?" He raised his eyebrow. "I was hungry!"

"So, how was it?" She asked him, taking a slight nibble at the golden toast she held in both hands.  
"It was good, yeah. Then again, it's too early for me, anything probably tastes good at this time. Put it this way; that lemonade was far better than that bottle of kvass I got from the vending machine the other night!"

"Sora, you do realise that everything in that machine went out of date in 2007, right?"

"Yeah, Roxas told me. He had a good look at the bottle and spotted the sell by date. Needless to say this was after I drank most of it!" Namine snorted with laughter, before deciding it was the right time to change the conversation.

"Kairi said you've been completely ignoring her." Sora exhaled, taping his fingers on the table to the tune of the 'Call to Post' that was frequently hear at horse racing events.

"I really haven't, whenever I see her she's with Riku, and I think she'd rather hang with him than have me interrupt them." He explained, athough Namine looked at him unconvinced. Sora toyed with the idea of bringing up what Selphie had revealed to him earlier, but he decided against it. Things were going pretty well and there was no way that it would go smoothly. Firstly, he was in the bathroom, with the brunette. Namine would probably flip her lid if she heard (she never had seemed fully convinced of his side of the seven minutes of heaven story involving Sora and Selphie. Secondly, he would be forced to deal with the possibility that Namine had made the whole thing up about Kairi being quote/unquote "a total bitch" the night she started dating Riku. Too much hastle, he thought. He was snapped out of his stream of thought by Namine, who was now standing next to him, her arm outstretched, invitingly.

"Come on, I have an idea."

They walked through the airport, hand in hand, paying as much attention to the possibility of someone seeing them than to each other. As they walked past a small newsagents, he felt a tug on his arm, followed by Namine yanking him into a small booth.

"Jeez, Nam', what gives?" he rubbed his shoulder, nursingly. He'd like to say he was just feigning injury, and was trying to be cute, but that really hurt! He surveyed the booth: it was about three foot across, with the far wall and one of the two adjacent to it a sterile white color, while opposite there was a large screen. It was a photobooth. "Namine, please don't make me do this." Sora moaned, although truth be told he was more than happy to oblige.

"Sora, we're 'doing this', whether you like it or not."

"But Nam', I'm like the king of unphotogenic!"

"Quit being such a baby, it'll be fun, besides, photographs are ways of making memories last forever." She shot him a cheesy smile, before selecting a few choices on the screen.

"But what if the photos get ripped, then they'll hardly have lasted forever." Sora scoffed, trying to get a slight reaction out of her.

"Shut up!" She turned to him, the look on his face made it seem like he had been tortured and dragged against his own will to be in this position, which he would argue he had.

"Sit," She commanded.

"I'm not a dog, Namine." Sora stated, despite the fact that he obeyed her order. He looked over at the screen, which was far too high in comparison to the stool. He spun on the spot a few times, raising the seat until his eyes were on a par with the guidelines printed on the fingerprint laden glass. Namine flicked a few coins into the machine, before leaning across Sora to yank the ruby red curtain shut. She sat on the inside of his right leg, shuffling slightly which caused him to wince. Gripping both her arms around his neck, she allowed her cherry tinted lips to linger close to his ear. She parted her lips, before whispering breathily to him.

"Say cheese."

* * *

**17/7/2011**


	26. Meet the Parents

_Russian Roulette, a Car Crash, a Secret Romance, a 'Friendly' Rivalry, a Brand New Scar, a Brand New Car, a Friend Who's Just Came Out The Closet, More Mood Swings Than The Scottish Weather, and Sophomore Year's Only Just Begun!_

**Teenage Kicks **

**Chapter Twenty Six  
**

**Meet The Parents  
**

**[!This Chapter Contains Some Minor Strong Language!]**

The song in this chapter is _Over My Head _by _Lit._

* * *

_I'm in over my head  
They wanna try and build me up  
So they can tear me down  
I wish that I could be back there_  
_But I'm writing here right now_

_They've taken everything that I've had to give and_  
_They say it's over but man I'm still here livin'_  
_I don't know what to do, I think that maybe_

_I'm in over my head_  
_Stuck in the red_  
_Somethin' they said_  
_Makes me think that I'm in over my head_  
_Over my head_  
_Over my head_

_I've got to get away from here_  
_And it couldn't be too soon_  
_Cuz I see the stars are here with me_  
_Like rockets to the moon_

_You take me everywhere that I've never been and_  
_Show me the meaning of what life had to give and_  
_I don't know what to say, I think that maybe_

_I'm in over my head_  
_Lyin' in her bed_  
_Somethin' she said_  
_Makes me think that I'm in over my head_  
_Over my head_  
_Over my head_

_They've taken everything that I've had to give and_  
_They say it's over but man I'm still here livin'_  
_I don't know what to do, I think that maybe_

_I'm in over my head_  
_Stuck in the red_  
_Somethin' they said_  
_Makes me think that I'm in over my head_  
_Over my head_  
_Over my head_  
_I'm in over my head_  
_I'm in over my head_  
_I'm in over my head_  
_I'm in over my head_

"Oh my God you look so cute!"

Sora sat in the chair, his face like thunder. Sure, a little vacation to Russia with his friends was nice, and it had given him time to get closer to Namine. But even then, he wasn't sure it was worth this!

"Give me a break, Kairi!" He squirmed, cranking his neck away from the brush she was bringing ever closer to his cheek.

"Relax Sora, it's just a little foundation." Kairi giggled, before running the make-up coated bristles down his cheek. "You never know, maybe you need this in order to be attractive enough to get a girlfriend."

"Hey!" Sora batted her hand away, scowling as he looked at himself in the mirror. "How much longer is this going to take, anyway?"

"You should be out by one." Kairi fished around in her bag, before plucking out a small black tube. "Why are you in such a hurry, got a big date or something?" She teased him.

"Well, yes, actually." Sora grinned.

"Wait, what, you have a girlfriend?" She sounded surprised, although he wasn't sure if she was putting it on.

"No, I've turned gay actually. You might have heard of him though, big strapping lad, goes by the name of Riku." He flinched as she slapped the back of his head.

"Hands off!"

"Well, lets be honest here. You're currently dolling me up, so surely turning gay is the next possible step in terms of my progression as a character in this great big story we call life." Sora droned, a slight smile etched across his dour face.

"Sora, we both know you love it! Plus, we have to get you looking sexy for this." Kairi explained.

"Kairi, darling, I don't think you understand. You know how people always go on about 'bringing sexy back'?" Sora noticed Kairi nodding through the mirror. "I'm Sora Carmichael. Sexy never left."

"I feel like a bloody doll!" Roxas moaned, flashing his teeth via a terribly false smile. He bounced the brand new soccer ball that he had been told to pose with.

"It's not _that_ bad." Sora admitted, through gritted teeth, as his body was temporarily illuminated by the flash of the camera in front of him.

"That's great kid, now I want you to stand straight up, holding the ball to your chest. That's great. Now, look down at the 'X' taped to the floor. And lose that smile; girls love broody." Sora did as he was commanded. Himself, Roxas, and Tidus had agreed to take part in the photo shoot to show off the new team kits, part of the agreement with the Headmistress in return for the Russia trip. He turned his head to see Tidus being handed a script, and then a similar one being handed to Roxas. "Here you are kid." The photographer handed Sora the booklet. "You have five minutes to get that memorized."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"Got it memorized?"

"Yeah Axel: A foot long Italian herbs and cheese, with cheese and ham, toasted, with barbecue sauce?" Roxas relayed Axel's order to him over the phone.

"No, you bumbling buffoon! That's what Sora gets at Subway! Even I knew that." Axel sighed. Roxas could picture him now, his palm hitting his forehead over and over again in annoyance over Roxas' 'sheer stupidity'.

"Look, Axel, text me what you want, I hate talking while driving." Roxas instructed Axel, before muttering his goodbyes and hanging up. They were taking Roxas' Dodge on it's first official 'cruise'. The plan had been that it would have been a chance for the guys to hang and chat, but Riku had managed to convince Roxas to let Kairi tag along. As it was, Roxas and Tidus were in the front, and Sora and Kairi were seated in the back.

"So, everything going okay, you know, head knock wise?" Kairi whispered to Sora, who responded with a nod.

"Yeah, the tablets the doctor gave me work wonders." He smiled meekly.

"Sora," She sighed, "you know I want to be a nurse. I looked everything up. You've been getting those tablets from you-know-who. Don't lie to me."

"Voldemort?"

"This is serious Sora. I mean Demyx!" She growled, gripping his arm.

"Okay, okay, but what did you honestly expect me to do? The doctor I went to said that if I went on the treatment I couldn't play football for 6 months, minimum. I can't afford that, Kairi."

"All I'm saying is, are you sure that the stuff Demyx gave you is safe?" Their conversation was ended prematurely with a knock on the car window.

"Budge up, love birds."

Riku opened the door. Instead of sitting in the seat designated for him, he asked Kairi to move up so he could sit between the two. He faked a yawn, executing the age old trick in which he put his arms around both Kairi and Sora. "So, lets roll."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"_Sora Carmichael misses another glorious chance for the Bluebirds! This is unbelievable!"_

Sora stood, head in hands as the opposition goalkeeper trudged behind his goals to collect the ball. How the hell had he managed to miss that? Walking back to his position, his attention was drawn to the technical area. The coach was getting Cid Heartily ready to come on as a substitute. He switched his mind back to the action that was taking place on the field, noticing the goalkeeper had played the ball out short to one of his defenders, a short, rotund boy who Sora reckoned he had the beating of. He closed down the ball, easily dispossessing said opponent, before it was just him one-on-one on with the goalkeeper. He couldn't mess it up again, could he? He touched the ball a few yards in front of him, trying to line up the perfect angle to beat the goalkeeper. He retracted his right foot, before lashing the ball with the instep of his foot.

"_And that's a great save! Carmichael looks bewildered, he took the chance, but all he's ended up with is a corner kick."_

Sora rubbed his eyes with disbelief, before picking the ball up and throwing it towards Tidus, who had came forward to take the corner kick. He gestured to Roxas, informing him of what the team's plan was. Taking a few steps back, he prepared himself for the game to restart. The shrill squeak of the referee's whistle shocked his ears, and he turned to see that the team were finally being allowed to bring on Cid.

"Substitution for Destiny High," the commentators voice sounded through the PA system. "Coming on, we have Cid Heartily. And he will be taking the place of..." He paused for a few seconds, before continuing, "Sora Carmichael?". Sora, genuinely surprised that he was the one being withdrawn from the game, looked over to a confused looking Roxas, merely shrugging before he turned once more and began to walk from the pitch. He raised his head and applauded the fans for a few seconds before making his way to the edge of the pitch, giving Cid a slightly rushed handshake. He picked up the tracksuit jacket that his replacement had discarded moments before and put it on, before taking a seat next to the rest of the substitutes, his arms folded, his face not showing any emotion.

The next morning, Sora walked alone through the corridors of the school. Although it had played constantly through his head, he had came to the conclusion that the coach withdrawing him from the game was not a big deal, and that he was just having an off night. It was a decision that the coach had appeared to have got correct, as Heartily had set up Roxas for a late goal in a 1-0 win. He was pretty early (for once!), and had decided that he'd rather keep moving than to sit around and look like a loner. Minutes passed, before his vision became blocked as a pair of hands were placed in front of them.

"Guess who!" a soft voice asked him, cheerfully.

"Oh, hey Nam'!" He turned to face her, removing his earphones before giving her a quick kiss.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" She asked him, her arms locked around his neck.

"Well, I have my history project to finish off. Tidus gave me some help with it, but It shouldn't take too long to edit using Vegas or something. How come?"

"Well..." She smiled slightly at him. "I think it's time I took you to meet my parents." Namine's grin turned into what could only be described as a 'Sora smile'.

"Namine, I've met yourmomlots of times."

"No, I mean I should introduce you to my mom, and dad, as my boyfriend!" Sora gulped. He'd never done the whole 'meeting the parents' thing before.

"Um... sure Nam', sounds... great!" He tried to pull off a smile to match hers.

"Great, be at mine for seven. You'd better be on time!" Namine warned him.

"Relax Nam', Seven PM, gotcha." He winked at her.

"Anyway, I gotta go, I need to print off an essay." She stole a quick kiss, before hastily walking past him down the corridor.

"Um... bye." Sora stood, bewildered, before he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He answered the call without checking who it was who had called him.

"Hey!" Sora heard a slightly gruff voice on the other side of the phone.

"Riku?" He asked.

"The one and only." Riku confirmed.

"What's up?"

"Have you spoke to Kairi at all?"

"Can't say that I have, why?" Sora spoke quietly into the phone as he continued his destinationless journey through the school building.

"She's been acting really, really weird these past few days." Riku explained, his voice conveying little in terms of emotion.

"You want me to talk to her?" Sora offered. He found it weird that Riku would turn to him for this, especially considering their history.

"No, no. I'm sure it's nothing." Riku chuckled slightly. "She must be on her period or something." Sora bade him farewell before hanging up. He checked the time on his cell. Nearly time for class.

Period One. English. Not the worst start to the day, but Sora still wished he was elsewhere. He looked up from his messy scrawls every so often to look at the back of Kairi's head. He didn't know why he was so bothered. After all, they'd had a patchy few weeks, the three of them. But as Sora's eyes were fixated on the red head in front of him, there was only one thought going through his head. They weren't having sex. Why this was going through his head, he had no idea, but it was all he could think about. Maybe it was the fact that this was Riku, if he wants something, he gets it. He has, what Sora could only describe as a 'way' with people, girls in particular. Or maybe it was Sora's feelings for Kairi bubbling to the surface again, instead of staying down where he was trying to suppress them. Maybe he was looking into everything too much, and they were. He sighed, looking back down onto the page on which his hand had been doodling while he was deep in thought. He grimaced slightly at what he'd drawn, before forcefully tearing the page up.

"Hey!" Sora looked up, his gaze met Kairi's eyes. She had turned around now, and had a slightly worried look on her face. "What's up?"

"Oh, it-it's nothing." Sora smiled meekly.

"Listen, Sora. Are you busy tonight?" She asked him.

"Huh?" Sora raised his brow. "Well, yeah, I've got a lot of work to do on my history project. Need to edit a lot of video."

"Oh, well, I'll help you with that then." Kairi announced.

"It's cool Kai', I can get it done on my own. Besides, you should be hanging with the ol' 'bf'', eh?"

"I just need some time away. Please, Sora?" She looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine!" He sighed, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Yay!" Kairi smiled, "So, I'll see you around seven-ish then?".

"Actually, could we make it earlier? I have to help Squall with a few things." He lied, covering the fact he had a dinner date with Namine.

"Okay, that works."

"Great." Sora smiled, before he returned to destroying the evidence of his subconscious mind.

**Teenage Kicks**

Roxas' breathed in and out sharply as he sprinted through the rain, the lyrics to _I'm in over my head_ by _Lit _streaming through his earphones. Not exactly running music. He'd decided against taking his Jeep to school, and now he was paying the price. The water from the clouds pelted down on him as he picked up the pace, his school shirt becoming more transparent by the second. He wasn't taking the normal route through the town, as he felt the cobbled stone paths in the town centre would be far too slippy to run on, and had elected to take slightly longer route through the forest. He continued to run, despite the numerous times throughout the years that Tidus had explained that you get wetter running than you do walking. Roxas laughed to himself as he thought of this. Tidus came out with that line at least once every few months, and each time he looked extremely smug for knowing it. He had to be trolling them for a quick laugh, he had to be. Roxas looked ahead, his eyes squinting in an attempt to block out the rain.

He made out two figures, barely. One, a boy, wearing the same outfit as he was: A rain-soaked school uniform. Beside him there was a girl, unlike the two boys, she was wearing a jacket, which belonged to the boy. Roxas recognised them instantly, the boys flat hair disguised what was normally a head of caramel tinted spikes, and the girls red locks were instantly recognisable. Sora and Kairi. Roxas decided to get closer to the two. He stepped off the man made path, onto the damp, dirty grass. He broke into a jog in order to get a bit closer to them, the dirt spraying up his trouser legs. After about twenty seconds he could see them clearly. They were talking quietly, far too quietly for him to hear, yet he continued to follow them. He watched as Sora wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Were Sora and Kairi a couple? He pulled out his cell, quickly fidgeting with the keys, before clicking the send button. Moments later, his phone rang. He hesitated, before decided to accept the call.

"Hey Sel-" He began.

"Sora-and-Kairi-are-what!" Selphie screamed down the line.

"Shh." He whispered. "I'm right behind them, I don't want them to hear me." Roxas explained, agitated.

"Where are you, exactly.?"

"The bike path on the edge of the woods. They're going towards Sora's house."

"Follow them until they get there, but don't get caught. I don't want us to be jumping to conclusions on this, Roxas."  
"Okay Selph'. Hey, are you busy tonight?" Roxas asked her, slightly out of the blue.

"I gotta go, Roxas. Don't get caught!" She hung up the phone, ignoring Roxas' enquiry. He stood there, shivering slightly as a cold stream of rainwater ran millimetres from his eye, down his cheek, before dripping onto his neck.

"Do you want a towel or something?" Sora asked as he ushered Kairi into his empty house.

"No, I'm good. Thanks for lending me your jacket." She grinned, retuning the drenched item of clothing to the soaking boy.

"No problem." Sora threw the jacket over the radiator, before pointing Kairi upstairs. Into his bedroom they stepped. It was pretty tidy, since Sora had Namine round pretty often. Kairi looked around the room; it had been a while since she'd been in Sora's house. It wasn't too different from her last visit, with the only real difference being a lot of new posters on the walls. The walls were adorned with images of bands like The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Yellowcard, Rise Against, Jack's Mannequin and The Birds of Tokyo, as well as a large painting of the program Dexter, and pictures of soccer players who she couldn't name.

"Make yourself at home, I'll get started on my project." Sora sat down, his laptop placed at an angle on his bedside cabinet. He retrieved a camcorder out of the holdall that was lying next to his bed, plugging it into the USB port on the laptop. He hummed slightly as he transferred the video files from it. Sora wasn't humming for the sake of it though. The song that escaped his lips was the same song that he sang to her outside of Namine's house. Well, the song he thought he'd sang to her outside of Namine's house. He was looking for a response from her, any sort of clue as to whether or not Selphie was right.

"Sora." He turned to face Kairi. Was he about to get the response he craved? "You go dry up, I'll have a look through your project. It's probably better to have a third party look over it."

"Okaydoke." He jumped from his seat, before grabbing a towel from his drawer. Kairi watched him as he faced away from her. He unbuttoned his shirt, dropping it on the floor, before turning to face her. "I won't be to long." He flashed her the trademark Sora grin, before leaving the room.

Kairi grinned, biting her bottom lip. Her face was extremely flushed. She took a second to compose herself before taking control of Sora's laptop. "Now, what have we here then?" She sat for a moment, wondering what to do first. She clicked on the Firefox icon, which took her straight to Sora's homepage. Just as Kairi suspected: Sora left himself logged into Facebook. She then proceeded to follow what she felt was the proper 'fraping' procedure. Firstly, she set his birthday on the social networking site to tomorrow. Next, she set his gender to female, and stated that he was 'interested in' men. At this point, Kairi was clearly in her element. A small click here, a few letters typed there. All at Sora's expense. She was nearly bent over with laughter as she began 'liking' pages on Sora's behalf. She clicked the mouse once more, before she began to think of a funny status for him. She heard the door from the bathroom clicking open, and she quickly opened the Sony Vegas window, before clicking play to run the footage. Sora entered the room.

"I'm gonna make a few phone calls just now, you wanting something to eat?"

"I'm fine Sora, really. Thanks." He winked, before exiting the room once more. Kairi turned her attention back to the laptop screen. A video of Sora and Tidus dressed as soldiers was currently on the screen. Yet, as funny as this was, it was rare that one would get the chance to frape Sora Carmichael, and Kairi had decided to seize her opportunity. She clicked on the internet browser once more, the video still playing in the background. She tapped her fingers on the keys, waiting for the words to come to her. After a few seconds she began to type. "god i always stand to attention when i think about Tidus Martingale Roxas 'Wednesday' Middleweek and Riku Gallagher. 3 i love men, sorry Selphie Tilmitt and Namine Snow.", tagging her friends in it for good measure. She read it over, before clicking the share button. She watched the screen as people started to 'like' it and comment on it. A few seconds later, Namine popped up on the chat window.

**Hey :)) x**

Kairi decided to carry on the conversation, rather than leave Namine hanging. She tried to stick to the way Sora talks on Facebook as much as possible.

**Hey you! :D**

**Wow someone's cheery :L Are we still okay for tonight then? x**

"Wait, what?" Kairi murmured to herself. Sora was hanging out with Namine later on? So much for helping Squall.

As Kairi began to think about what to reply, the noise of the video playing in the background continued to play, only now it was registering in her mind, instead of going in one ear and out the other.

"_Although, it could be argued that had Germany previously been led by a democracy, or if the suicide clause and proportional representation not been used, Hitler's campaign for Chancellorship may have been fruitless._ "

"I'm guessing they must be going over some homework or something." She continued to talk out loud.

"_Also, had the economic crisis not occurred, Hitler would not have had a key point of his electoral campaign to use as a platform, and might not have gained power. "_

"But still, Sora lied to me. That's a first... I think."

"_If Hitler had not achieved power, the Weimar Government may have continued to be the form of government in Germany. If this had occurred, Germany may have stayed democratic, and the Second World War may not have occurred."_

"God, why do I even care about this?" She questioned herself, before deciding to close the Facebook tab on the internet, instead opting to check her own page.

"_And that's all from me, Tidus Martingale, reporting from our trip to Russia_."

She typed in her username and password. Quickly, she found 'Sora's' status and liked it, before checking her notifications.

"_Oh, am I interrupting?"_

_"Nah, just finishing off part of Sora's history report, that's all. What's that you're reading?" _

_"Milk and Marshmallows" _

_"Isn't that a bit, y'know, girly?" _

"Riku Gallagher liked your photo. Selphie Tilmitt commented on your post on 'Selphie's Super Scary Halloween Soiree's' wall."

_"And being attracted to men isn't?" _

_"Point taken, man. I was just making conversation,"_

_"Besides, The writer's a dude, which is probably the best thing when it comes to a romance novel." _

_"Really?"__"Yeah, I guess it's because we have a more rational view on the emotion, I dunno. Think about it: you have Tom E. Huff, Leigh Greenwood, Michael Little, Samuel Richardson, all dudes"._

"Facebook, why are you so boring!"

_"Honestly Riku, I've never heard of a single one of them."_

_"Pseudonyms, Tidus. Huff, for example, wrote as Jennifer Wilde."_

_"I get it Riku, you're a literary genius, blah blah, I wish I hadn't coaxed you into talking about all this!"_

_"Well, if you don't want to talk then what do you want to do, Tidus?"_

"Hurry up Sora." Kairi sighed, tapping the back of the laptop screen rhythmically.

_"We can still talk, Riku, just not about your 'vast literary knowledge' Unless of course you have something better we could do?"_

_"We could do what I suggested the other day."_

_"W-hat do you mean?"_

_"I always thought you were gay, Tidus. But now I know, maybe it's time we do something about it. What happens in Russia, stays in Russia."_

_"Is the door locked?"_

Minutes passed as Kairi sat, wasting minutes of her life the same way most teenagers do: eyes glued to a computer screen. She yawned slightly, before placing the laptop back on the bedside cabinet and lying down on Sora's bed. The bed squeaked loudly as she pressed her back into it. "Not the most discreet shagpad you have here Sora!" she stated loudly hoping he would hear it. What the hell was keeping him. She began to zone out completely. School had really done a number on her today, no 'free study' periods, and double PE to end the day was an absolute nightmare for her! As she slowly drifted off, she was awoken by a loud moaning noise. "What the fuck?" She sat up. "Sora?" He was no where to be seen. The noise was coming from the laptop. She laughed slightly as she stood up and walked over to the source of the noise. "Tut-tut-tut. Teenage boys and their porn._" _She looked at the laptop. Only Firefox and Vegas were open. Had she accidentally clicked some weird Youtube video on her newsfeed? She began to scroll the site looking for the video.

"_Oh, Riku!"_

"What the fuck!"

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks**

"How's the soccer going then, Sora dear?" Sora across the table to the source of the question. Mrs. Snow, Namine's mother sat opposite him. The similarity between Namine, Stella, and their mother was incredible.

"Pretty well," Sora responded, "thanks for asking."

"Oh good," Mrs Snow turned to Stella, "Could you do me a favour dear and check the sweet?" Stella merely nodded, before excusing herself and disappearing to the kitchen, leaving Sora, Namine and her mother at the table. Mr. Snow hadn't made an appearance yet, something which Sora was quite happy about. He wasn't too familiar with nights such as this, and he'd never met a girl he was dating's father before. "Please excuse me for a moment." Mrs. Snow rose from her chair, before leaving the room via the door opposite the one Stella had disappeared through. Sora let out a sigh of relief. He was doing his best not to focus on school, soccer, and most of all the way Kairi was acting when he returned to his bedroom earlier. It almost seemed as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Relax Sora, you're doing great." Namine smiled in his direction.

"Thanks."

"Seriously though, it's a casual dinner. I wasn't expecting you to come dressed like that." Namine referred to Sora's attire. He was wearing a silver shirt, with a white collar and cuffs, and a black tie with silver accents, as well as a pair of black jeans. "Your only saving grace is those plaid Converse you're wearing."

"Yeah, sorry about that." He apologized for overdressing.

"Don't apologize. Besides, I have to say, you're looking a bit sexy tonight Mr Carmichael." She teased him, causing him to turn beet red.

"Hehe." Sora breathed out an unconvincing attempt at a laugh. Silence fell over the table for a few moments, before Mrs. Snow emerged once more, closely followed by a man Sora never recognised. Namine's father. He was a tall, imposing figure. Sora guessed he was around six foot two, maybe three. He was rather toned, with Sora gauging him at being not too shy of 200 pounds, with little of that being fat. His clean shaven face was stoic, devoid of any emotion. Sora guessed that the suit he was wearing was probably worth more than Roxas' car!

"Leo, I'd like you to meet Namine's friend, Sora." Mrs. Snow introduced the man to Sora.

"Hello, Mr Snow." Sora stood up, offering his hand to the man. Leo eyed him intensely, before gripping his hand tightly.

"Hello, Sora. I've heard so much about you." So laughed nervously, a hint of uncertainty creeping through.

"Well, I hope that's a good thing."

**Teenage Kicks Teenage Kicks.**

Sora emerged from the locker room dressed in his football kit, sans his football boots. He began to walk towards the exit, so he could go to the soccer field. Looking up, he seen Roxas at the end of the corridor. Sora waved slightly. This wasn't reciprocated however, as Roxas replied with a peculiar look, rather than a hand gesture. Confused, Sora sped up to reach the end of the corridor, being careful that he didn't slip on the floor since he was wearing his socks. He reached his destination, where Roxas had been standing moments before, when he noticed a sheet of paper posted on the P.E. notice board: The team list for the next three games.

He looked at it from the top down. "Wakka, Roxas, Tidus." He mumbled to himself, sounding off the people on it. He checked it once, twice, three times. "Fuck." he groaned. He checked the substitute list, sure he'd find what he was looking for there. "Shit." He cursed again. He looked over to the door, to see Roxas waiting on him. Sora lifted his hands, clearly mouthing yet another obscenity, this time in the form of a question, preceded by 'what the'. Roxas jogged over quickly, before pointing Sora to another sheet. Sora browsed over this one, his heart sinking as soon as he found his name on it. He looked at the title of the sheet again, just to confirm his fears.

**Sora Carmichael: Reserve player.**

* * *

******10/10/2011**


End file.
